Congresswoman Debbie Dingell today remembers and honors the Abbas family, Issam and Rima, along with their three children, Ali, Isabella, and Giselle, who were tragically killed four years ago in a car crash caused by a wrong-way drunk driver.
“Drunk driving has brought so much pain to communities and families across the country, including Dearborn, Northville, and beyond. Four years later, I remember the Abbas family, who were beloved by their community, and their absence is still felt deeply by those whose lives they touched,” said Dingell. “Drunk driving is still inflicting pain and suffering on so many families, and we can prevent it. Nothing will bring back the Abbas family, but their lives are too important to forget. I remain to committed honoring their lives by doing everything in my power to end drunk driving on our roads. If we can keep even one person from dying, and make people think twice before getting behind the wheel when they shouldn’t, we will be successful.”
Dingell’s Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate (HALT) Drunk Driving Act was included in and signed into law as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The drunk driving provisions in the IIJA direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a rulemaking process and set the final standard within three years for impaired driving safety equipment on all new vehicles. The recently enacted omnibus appropriations bill calls on NHTSA to “prioritize resources” to meet the rulemaking requirements of the HALT Act. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has estimated that this technology will save 9,400 lives a year.
