Amid a rise in drunk and
drugged driving during the pandemic, State Highway Safety Offices are working
to keep deadly drivers off the road
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As
summer winds down and millions of Americans take to the roads for the Labor
Day weekend, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is reminding
motorists that State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) and their federal and
law enforcement partners are stepping up efforts to reduce drunk and
drug-impaired driving, a preventable behavior that puts all road users at
risk.
The Labor Day
holiday is an especially deadly time for impaired driving, and the risks
are even greater than normal this year as traffic volumes increase. More
than 10,000 people die each year in crashes involving drunk drivers, and
the impacts on younger people are even more pronounced. During the 2019
Labor Day holiday, nearly half (46%) of the drivers aged 18-34 killed in
motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08 or higher. While the impaired
driving problem is not new, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has released highly concerning evidence pointing to increases in drunk, drugged and
multi-substance driving during the pandemic.
To address this
persistent and growing highway safety problem, SHSOs and their partners are
participating in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” outreach and
enforcement campaign. Enforcement of traffic safety laws is a proven
countermeasure for changing driver behavior, and GHSA and the SHSOs are
working with their partners to ensure it is conducted equitably and in
combination with community engagement that increases public awareness of
life-saving traffic safety laws. GHSA recently released ten recommendations developed by
Kimley-Horn to support more equitable safety outcomes for Black, Indigenous
and People of Color (BIPOC).
“Labor Day weekend
is a great time to get together and celebrate the unofficial end of
summer,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “As we’ve done
throughout the pandemic, Americans need to keep safety top of mind when
behind the wheel. Every single death and injury in an impaired driving
crash is preventable. Enjoy the waning days of summer – but do it safely.”
States and their
partners are employing a wide range of approaches to combat alcohol and
drug-impaired driving, including but not limited to:
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The
Washington Traffic Safety Commission will support enforcement with a TV,
radio, digital and social media campaign encouraging residents to talk to friends
and loved ones about getting a ride after using marijuana and how everyone
has a shared responsibility to keep roads safe by not driving after
consuming alcohol.
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The
Wisconsin Bureau of Traffic Safety is supplementing enforcement with a
focus on motorcycle rider outreach through the “Dare Devils, Dare Not”
campaign and promoting rider education in collaboration with ABATE of
Wisconsin. The state is also utilizing a grant from GHSA and Responsibility.org to
increase the number of Drug Recognition Experts that are trained to
identify drug-impaired drivers in counties bordering states with legal
marijuana.
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The
Maryland Highway Safety Office is reminding motorists to ensure a sober
ride home if they plan on drinking alcohol over the Labor Day weekend.
These efforts will be coupled with enforcement focused on impaired driving,
distracted driving and seat belt use.
With younger drivers
more likely to drive impaired, SHSOs are focusing on reaching the age
groups most prone to getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol
and/or drugs:
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The
Texas Department of Transportation is working with law enforcement partners
to identify and stop suspected impaired drivers in the weeks leading up to
Labor Day. After the holiday weekend, TxDOT will focus its “Drive Sober. No
Regrets.” campaign on 18- to 34-year-old males attending end-of-summer
parties and college students returning to campus.
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In
Mississippi, the Highway Safety Office is delivering safe driving messages
to college students at three different campuses throughout the Labor Day
weekend, a popular time for alcohol consumption as students gather and
reconnect after summer.
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The
Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is focusing on the 25
counties with the most impaired driving fatalities through enforcement and
a comprehensive public awareness campaign directed to 21- to 34-year-old
males. The OHSP is also reminding drivers that while recreational marijuana
is legal in Michigan, it is illegal to drive high.
SHSOs are also
reminding drivers there are convenient alternatives to getting behind the
wheel impaired:
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The
Sober Ride Indiana program, funded by the Indiana Criminal Justice
Institute (that state’s SHSO), is offering $15 ride-hail credits to give
potential drunk and drug-impaired drivers a safe way home. The program has
funded more than 4,000 rides since it launched last December.
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The
Las Vegas Coalition for Zero Fatalities, led by the Nevada Office of
Traffic Safety, is providing ride-hailing credits over the Labor Day
weekend and promoting it as an alternative to drunk driving through
partnerships with local bars.
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Entering
festival season, the Wisconsin Bureau of Traffic Safety’s “Safe Ride”
program partners with taverns, bars and other venues to provide buses in
communities during events, so people do not have to worry about driving
home impaired.
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In
North Dakota, drivers can receive ride-hail vouchers through the Department
of Transportation-led “ND Sober Ride” program to avoid getting behind the
wheel after consuming an impairing substance.
Late last month,
GHSA partnered with Responsibility.org and AAA to create the National Alliance to Stop
Impaired Driving,
where leading experts and key officials gathered at the inaugural
conference to address multiple-substance impaired driving and create a national
action plan to combat it. Impaired driving solutions will also be discussed
at the GHSA 2021 Annual Meeting this September in Denver.
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