Innovative Programs To Combat Drunk And Drug-Impaired Driving Get A Boost

Forbes Lifestyle Travel Innovative Programs To Combat Drunk And Drug-Impaired Driving Get A Boost Tanya Mohn Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover road safety and consumer travel. Following Jul 31, 2023, 06:04pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving have surged in recent years and account for .

. . [+] about one-third of traffic fatalities annually in this country.

Getty Images Alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving have surged in recent years and account for about one-third of traffic fatalities annually in this country. A new round of grants aims to help lower that death toll by providing law enforcement officers with tools, resources and training to better identify impaired drivers and remove them from the road. The new funding for drunk and drug-impaired driving prevention programs in four states – Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania – was announced on Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices.

“Summer should be for beach trips and family vacations,” Jonathan Adkins, chief executive officer for the safety group, said in a statement. “Tragically, summer also brings a rise in impaired driving crashes and deaths, leaving countless families shattered and communities devastated. ” The GHSA, in partnership with Responsibility.

org, awarded $120,000 in grants to four State Highway Safety Offices for programs designed to combat alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving and help prevent avoidable tragedies. The funding comes at a time when the number of impaired driving deaths has grown, rising 14% in both 2020 and 2021, the safety groups said, quoting federal statistics. Every day, 36 people die from alcohol-impaired driving crashes alone – that’s one death every 39 minutes.

And drug- and multiple substance-impaired driving have increased in recent years, the groups noted. “As more states legalize cannabis, these dangerous driving behaviors must be addressed to save lives. ” MORE FOR YOU Apple Leaks Detail All-New iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro Design Changes Apple iPhone 15 Pro New Leak Reveals Awesome Updates In Definitive Report WWE NXT Great American Bash Results: Winners And Grades On July 30, 2023 The state programs that will be funded with the new grants include: Maryland, where the consumption of recreational adult-use cannabis recently became legal, will implement several initiatives to help law enforcement officers better detect impairment.

These include: providing training manuals and expanding its “green labs,” which involve giving volunteers a controlled dose of cannabis (and in some cases a combination of cannabis and alcohol) and allowing officers to perform a series of sobriety tests to witness the impairing effects of these substances. Pennsylvania will feature two programs designed to address offenders convicted of driving under the influence of drugs: using a remote monitoring system to determine if offenders in the Lackawanna County Treatment Court are continuing to use drugs or other impairing substances; and building a comprehensive library of the most commonly used drugs by drivers convicted of a DUI offense. Missouri plans to expand its ability to train law enforcement officers to conduct roadside blood tests through the development of an in-state phlebotomy program.

Ohio will help law enforcement officers via training programs to better screen and assess drug-impaired driving offenders and provide admissible evidence through implementation of infrared, high-definition digital video technology. For example, special recorders will enable officers to capture the eye movements and other physical responses of drivers suspected of being under the influence. The grant program, now in its ninth year, has provided more than $1 million to states to address this ongoing threat on the nation’s roadways.

“GHSA is excited to continue our long-running partnership with Responsibility. org,” Adkins added, “to give law enforcement the tools they need to help make our roads safer for everyone traveling this summer and beyond. ” For more information, click here and here .

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