HIGHWAY SAFETY: A RENEWED EFFORT TO ELIMINATE ALCOHOL AND DRUG IMPAIRED DRIVING

Submitted by the Highway Safety Committee

WHEREAS, public safety is the highest priority of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and law enforcement agencies; and

WHEREAS, the best efforts of law enforcement and other government agencies and private organizations have made significant gains in the past in reducing impaired driving; and

WHEREAS, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2005, 16,972 people were killed in crashes involving alcohol, representing 39% of the 43,200 people killed in all traffic crashes, representing a 1.7% increase over the previous year; and

WHEREAS, research indicates the effect of drugs, alone, or in combination with alcohol, contribute significantly to the number of fatal and injury crashes; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement officers experience firsthand the devastating emotional, mental, and physical effects of impaired driving; and

WHEREAS, research has shown strong and effective laws combined with highly visible enforcement not only reduces impaired driving, but also reduces other crimes as well; and

WHEREAS, there are many strategies that can and should be deployed in our fight against impaired driving; and

WHEREAS, the IACP encourages allied organizations, both public and private, to work cooperatively with law enforcement to eliminate impaired driving; and

WHEREAS, the IACP encourages all other components of the criminal justice system, including prosecutors and the judiciary, to work cooperatively to eliminate impaired driving; and

WHEREAS, the IACP urges SACOP to encourage their member agencies to consistently participate in aggressive high visibility impaired driving enforcement; and

WHEREAS, according to NHTSA, sustained high visibility law enforcement is clearly the best strategy for reducing impaired driving; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 113th Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, supports a renewed effort for every law enforcement agency to take full advantage of known best practices, in particular aggressive high visibility enforcement, to work vigorously toward the elimination of impaired driving; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP supports the use of the IACP Highway Safety Committee Impaired Driving Subcommittee “Impaired Driving Guidebook: Three Keys to Renewed Focus and Success” as a resource tool in our effort to eliminate impaired driving.