National Highway Traffic Safety Administration December 14, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice proposes revisions to Model Specifications for Screening Devices to Measure Alcohol in Bodily Fluids (Model Specifications) published in the Federal Register on August 2, 1994 (59 FR 39382). These devices test for the presence of alcohol using breath or bodily fluids such as saliva. The Model Specifications support State laws that target youthful offenders (i.e., ``zero tolerance'' laws) and the Department of Transportation's regulations on Alcohol Misuse Prevention, and encourage industry efforts to develop new technologies (e.g., non-breath devices) that measure alcohol content from bodily fluids. This notice proposes to remove testing of Interpretive Screening Devices (ISDs) and use of the Breath Alcohol Sample Simulator (BASS) device from the Model Specifications. The ISDs do not provide an unambiguous test result, as test results for ISDs are subjective and require interpretation by a test administrator or technician. Because the agency has determined the BASS device is not necessary for inclusion in the Model Specifications, this notice proposes to remove all references to the BASS device. Additionally, in order to ensure product integrity, this notice proposes guidelines for retesting devices when manufacturers contemplate changes, revisions, or upgrades to alcohol screening devices on the Conforming Products List (CPL). The proposed revisions to these Model Specifications would not affect devices currently listed on the CPL.