The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Responsibility.org and the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID) have teamed up to once again fund state efforts to combat alcohol, cannabis and multiple-substance impaired driving.
Over the past 11 years, the partnership has provided more than $1.2 million to State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) across the country to help reduce impaired driving.
The summer travel season brings a rise in drunk driving rates, with July and August being the worst, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. Drunk driving deaths finally fell in 2023 after several years of rapid increase when fatalities rose 23 per cent in just four years – from 10,142 in 2019 to 12,429 in 2023.
“Law enforcement is on the front lines of our battle against drunk and drug-impaired driving,” said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins. “By equipping them with the best tools, resources and training, we can help them identify and remove impaired drivers from our roads. That makes summer travel safer for everyone.”
The latest grants will help SHSOs and criminal justice professionals in four states and territories.
In the District of Columbia: The DC Highway Safety Office, in partnership with the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, is launching a pilot oral fluid testing program in areas with high impaired driving rates.
In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is partnering with the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education to evaluate four years of existing toxicology data from more than 60,000 impaired driving cases to identify trends in substance use.
In Vermont, through a grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Vermont Criminal Justice Council will give its Drug Recognition Experts hands-on training through “green labs,” where officers can observe the real-time effects of cannabis on volunteers in a safe, controlled setting to help officers better recognize the signs of impairment.
While in Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will provide the Teton County Sheriff’s Office with new breathalyzers and train all patrol deputies on the new equipment to ensure consistent, accurate roadside testing.
