Randy Babbitt, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, was stopped in a suburb of Washington DC on Saturday after being spotted allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road.
Transport secretary Ray LaHood, who has campaigned against drink-driving, was told of the incident on Monday.
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Hide AdIn a statement, the transport department said Babbitt had been placed on a leave of absence while it consulted lawyers over his employment status. Last week, president Barack Obama designated December as “national impaired driving prevention month”.