The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded over $100,000 in grant money through the Governors Highway Safety Association in a bid to reduce traffic crashes resulting from drug-impaired driving.
The grant will be used to train more law enforcement officers to spot and distinguish drivers driving under the influence of drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, and opioids. Training will be delivered through the Drug Recognition Expert and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement program in Guam, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. The program is managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in conjunction with the NHTSA.
“Law enforcement is the first line of defense when it comes to removing impaired drivers from our roads and protecting the traveling public,” said NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator, Heidi R. King. “Ensuring that law enforcement officers are properly trained to recognize and handle drug-impaired drivers is a direct investment in safety. This grant is one more way in which the Department of Transportation is helping our state and local partners address this risk to the traveling public.”
