International Association of Chiefs of Police Impaired Driving and Traffic Safety Conference

Good morning. Thank you for having me today. 

It is an honor to be at such an impressive and important gathering of traffic safety professionals under one roof. The IACP is one of NHTSA’s most critical partners. Thank you for all you do, to your leadership and entire team for our continued work together to advance key traffic safety programs. I would also like to thank the IACP for your early endorsement last year of my nomination for NHTSA Administrator–you were one of the very first organizations I wanted to talk to, and your support won’t be forgotten. 

At NHTSA, our mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs of crashes. Last year, more than 36,000 people died in fatal crashes on our roads and, while an improvement from recent years, we know we are still battling against a roadway safety crisis. Every life lost is someone’s mother, father, son, daughter, friend. I know most of you in this room have had to make that tragic notification no one wants to deliver to a loved one, and far too many have been on the receiving end of those notifications. And yet somehow our society seems to tolerate or even accept this as normal.  It does not need to be like this. You know it, and I know it, and we at NHTSA will be partners with you as we fight against it.   

Earlier this year, we launched our Pathways to Safer Streets initiative, the most comprehensive traffic safety initiative in NHTSA’s history. The pathways initiative consists of eight groups of intersecting strategies to target traffic safety, with a focus on the leading causes of traffic fatalities: impairment from drugs and alcohol, speeding, distraction, and lack of seat belt use. 

We pursue this through key focal strategies, including reengaging with law enforcement, empowering states and local partners, leveraging innovation, and educating the public about risky driving behaviors to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.  And support for the Pathways action plan goes all the way to the top. Earlier this month, Secretary Duffy announced the USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy to pursue DOT’s safety goals across all relevant DOT operating administrations.  The National Roadway Safety Strategy has three core objectives: safer people, safer roads, and safer vehicles, and specifically incorporates the Pathways initiative. 

We know how critical law enforcement is to our mission of saving lives. The first pathway and cornerstone of this plan is simple: active re-engagement with law enforcement. We have moved past the era where leaders turned their back and canceled grants and entire support programs. At NHTSA, under Secretary Sean Duffy and President Trump, we fundamentally reject that approach because it Just. Does. Not. Work. We fully endorse getting back to vigorous, effective traffic enforcement and we sincerely thank and appreciate you for your great work and the sacrifices you make to keep us all safe. 

To put it simply: laws without robust enforcement aren’t worth much more than the paper they’re written on.  We cannot save lives without enforcing laws around impaired driving, distraction, speeding, and seat belt use. We are working across the DOT—with the FMCSA and FHWA—to restore grants, enhance partnerships, and launch new public service awards to honor exemplary service. We know that strong, high visibility enforcement creates a proven deterrent effect.  

As I look out into the audience, it is not lost on me – or this Administration – the dangers you face every day in your jobs. Whether during calls for service, assisting citizens, or one of the most dangerous aspects of your job: conducting traffic stops, you risk your lives every day. On behalf of President Trump, Transportation Secretary Duffy and everyone at NHTSA, thank you for everything you do to keep us safe. And I want you to know that as you do so: We. Have. Your. Back on the Federal level.   

This Administration is putting words into action by meeting directly with organizations such as the IACP and National Sheriffs Association to strengthen our partnerships. I am also meeting frequently with law enforcement leaders and other key partners across the country because we want to hear from you on how we can help accomplish our mutual goals. We need your feedback on how we can better support your efforts, whether that’s in the field, in the labs, or in the courtroom. I also take the opportunity to reiterate, and sometimes remind law enforcement leaders that traffic enforcement is not about enforcing ordinances, it’s at the heart of public safety. 

But true partnership is about more than just standing by your side, but working together to accomplish our public safety mission.  To that end, NHTSA is restoring and enhancing grants to support your work. Just this month, DOT and NHTSA announced a $20 million investment to deploy cutting edge traffic safety enforcement innovations. We are looking for novel and promising law enforcement practices for which we can fund the development, demonstration, and evaluation to achieve our goals of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities. We want your best and boldest ideas, we want to pressure test them, and for those that work, we want folks to shamelessly copy them.

We saw an unprecedented number of registrants for our informational webinar on this grant opportunity, and are already seeing a lot of applications.  This is a clear sign that the traffic safety community is ready to lead with innovative solutions. And we need innovative solutions, because while continuing what we’ve been doing is necessary, it is not sufficient to achieve our traffic safety goals.   

Looking across the traffic safety landscape, the reality is that whether it’s distracted driving, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, or driving impaired, these are all choices. Deaths and injuries from these driving behaviors are 100% preventable. 

Impaired driving continues to plague our roadways. Each year, nearly 30% of fatalities involve alcohol impaired drivers. We also know how the drug impaired driving problem is pervasive and getting worse. With more States passing laws allowing recreational marijuana use, and a rise in polysubstance use, we need to increase our enforcement efforts, including educating the public of safety risks, detecting, apprehending, and prosecuting impaired drivers.  This takes a coordinated and consistent effort, involving technologies such as oral fluid devices and advanced toxicology equipment, training officers, prosecutors, and judges, and traceability of data throughout the process. This is no small undertaking. 

We know that the gold standard in drug impaired driving detection is found in the DEC program’s drug recognition expert training. And, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all the DRE professionals in the room I’ve been meeting with the last couple days–I’ve learned a lot from you already just this week. These are intense training programs, and your expertise is valued. As you know, unlike alcohol, evidence does not support per se limits for drugs, making the DRE program critical to identify sources and signs of impairment and hold dangerous drivers accountable.   

I recognize DRE training is a very rigorous and demanding course. It isn’t something every officer or deputy aspires to, so we are also supporting the expansion of access to the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, or ARIDE, course. Our stretch goal is that every officer and sheriff working the streets attend this two-day course to spot drug impairment.   

Training is a critical part of NHTSA’s support for law enforcement. To help with these efforts we have partnered with the DOJ COPS Office to provide several courses through their training portal. We understand the demands placed on you, alongside continued staffing shortages. These courses are offered virtually so you can gain knowledge at your own pace, and at your convenience. 

Having said that, we also understand that nothing replaces hands-on-instruction. We have expanded our partnership with the DOJ COPS Office to update the impaired driving curricula, including SFST, ARIDE, and DRE, in collaboration with the IACP and subject matter experts like many of you here today. 

Beyond training, we are continuing support for key State-level liaisons such as the Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors, Law Enforcement Liaisons, Judicial Outreach Liaisons, Probation and Parole Liaisons, and the Toxicology Liaisons. 

NHTSA’s understanding of drug impaired driving is driven by data, and, too often, toxicology lab limitations result in stop testing programs–where a .08 or .09 BAC in an impaired driving case results in discontinuing testing for other impairing substances.  This means we’re blind to the actual prevalence of drug impaired driving.  These laboratory limitations also result in delays for blood test results that press the boundaries of statutes of limitations.  We have expanded our toxicology liaison program to all 50 states and DC, which we hope will help standardize drug testing protocols and reduce processing times. 

We’re also working to close information gaps from arrest to adjudication, and end the era of repeat impaired drivers “falling through the cracks” of our judicial system. To this end, NHTSA recently released the Impaired Driving Tracking System Readiness Guide. This is a step-by-step roadmap to help States link every arrest directly to court outcomes, treatment, and recovery. By tracking offenders from the moment of the stop, we hope to finally stop the cycle of recidivism.  

Combined with our liaison programs, if you have judges and prosecutors who plea down impaired driving cases, we have judges and prosecutors who can work with them to educate them on the dangers of impaired driving and likelihood of recidivism.  

I can’t tell you how sick I am to read headlines about yet another life ended by a drunk driver who continued to slip through the cracks after multiple arrests and nights in the drunk tank with no prosecution and no licensure discipline.  And I can’t imagine how maddening it must be for an officer to process an impaired driver only to see them released before their shift ends. We hope this valuable resource can provide a more comprehensive picture and close those gaps, and we look forward to partnering with others to make this happen. 

We also know that ignition interlocks are a proven tool to stop repeat offenders. We fully support these state mandates. We also promote “compliance-based” removal, ensuring offenders only get their full driving privileges back once they have proven they can drive sober. Part of this is ensuring they get the treatment needed to address mental health issues associated with substance use disorder. 

Education is a key piece in NHTSA’s role to reduce injuries and fatalities. On Tuesday, NHTSA hosted an event at DOT to launch our annual Labor Day impaired driving HVE campaign. This event kicked off our annual national high-visibility enforcement Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to remind drivers of the dangers and consequences of impaired driving. This event included a roundtable with law enforcement and impact speakers–including Coach Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram II–ending with a pledge to drive sober. 

While impaired driving requires constant focus, it is not the only behavior driving these statistics. Behaviors such as speeding, driving distracted and occupants not wearing their seatbelts are also impacting our numbers. 

Speeding plays a role in nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities. Speeders are statistically more likely to be unlicensed, impaired, or unbuckled which is why another key pathway to our action plan is to target the most dangerous excessive speeders. There is no excuse for anyone to exceed 100 MPH or to drive 30, 40 or 50 miles over the speed limit. NHTSA supports significant fines and jail time when appropriate for these severe offenses.

We’re also excited about some of the policy approaches we’re seeing deployed in the States, such as intelligent speed assistance devices for excessive speeders. 

I’m also pleased to see States taking aggressive steps to stop super-speeders, like we’re seeing with California’s Forwarded Actions for Speeding Tickets, or FAST program.  This results in an immediate referral of drivers ticketed for exceeding 100mph to the DMV for license suspension–do not pass go; do not collect $200–even if the driver has no points on their record.  Of the 3200 referrals from January to May, California DMV took 3,000 licensure actions, and 94% have held up.  I love to see State agencies coordinate together on these issues. 

We understand that most agencies nationwide are stretched, requiring leadership to make tough decisions on how to deploy resources.  But traffic enforcement and other law enforcement are not mutually exclusive.  I was very pleased to announce earlier this year that NHTSA is once again fully supporting the Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) initiative. Crime and traffic violations very frequently happen at the same locations and times. Traffic safety is public safety. Using data to put scarce resources exactly where they are needed and when they are needed Just. Makes. Sense.  Look for announcements soon on additional NHTSA support of DDACTS implementation.   

Looking ahead to the future, NHTSA’s programs must leverage emerging technologies from vehicle telematics to automated enforcement and oral fluid devices. To be clear, automated enforcement does not and cannot replace in person contact by an officer. A camera can detect speed but without human interaction during a stop, an impaired driver, or human trafficker wouldn’t be identified. 

NHTSA’s Enforcement team and our National Center for Statistics and analysis rely on data you capture on-scene to help save lives. Our Crash Investigation Division and Office of Defects Investigation rely on crash report data you provide every day. This information acts as an early warning sign and is vital to our mission and public safety. These detailed reports allow us to detect critical safety issues such as ruptured airbags and restraint failures.  

A couple of months ago, we issued a defect determination about subpar Chinese replacement airbag inflators installed into revived salvage vehicles to save a buck.  One type of inflator ruptured in 13 crashes–sending large chunks of metal directly through the driver side air bag into the diver’s face and throat, killing 10 and creating permanent and life altering injuries for the other three. Most of the drivers were young, and almost all of the crashes were minor.  

We learned about these from law enforcement crash investigators who noticed things didn’t look right, and our defect order now makes installation of these airbags illegal.  Thank you, and please continue to report these findings to NHTSA’s Crash Investigative Division or the Office of Defects Investigation as your partnership is essential in helping us identify and address vehicle safety concerns. We can't stress enough how important accurate crash data is in helping us respond quickly to emerging issues. 

Beyond traffic enforcement, we are vigorously expanding our focus on post-crash care. As you well know, the minutes immediately following a crash are critical. Nationally, 43% of people killed in traffic crashes are still alive when first responders arrive. Research shows that prehospital blood transfusion improves survival for hemmoraghic shock victims by 37%. These figures are staggering and by starting blood transfusions at the scene rather than waiting until arriving at the hospital, we believe we can save thousands of lives each year. 

Achieving our goals requires a conversation about the culture surrounding traffic enforcement. We continue to learn about the challenges you face every day: officers who don’t want to work overtime or where construction zone oversight pays more than overtime; state or local threats to qualified immunity; and leadership that isn’t focused on or even supportive of traffic safety activity. 

NHTSA wants to help change the narrative around traffic enforcement, because traffic enforcement is essential to public safety. Consider this: last year, there were about two and-a-half times more traffic fatalities than murders. So, as resources get allocated, we want to encourage those difficult internal conversations about where and how lives can be saved–and as DDACTS has shown, they don’t need to be mutually exclusive, because crime and traffic fatalities tend to occur in similar places and times. We want to get that mission-driven culture back when it comes to traffic enforcement - it's about saving lives. 

To facilitate this conversation, NHTSA will host a National Law Enforcement Summit this winter at DOT Headquarters. We will bring together police executives, safety advocates, and key stakeholders to identify barriers to a positive traffic safety culture, share solutions, and build a concrete action plan for the future. 

Finally, I want to address how important officer safety is to us at NHTSA. I was just talking to Christine Frank, who is doing a fantastic job as the acting head of NHTSA’s Enforcement and Justice Services Division, and I was deeply moved to hear that while overall line of duty deaths are down 5% year to date–attributable to significant reductions in both firearm and other causes–traffic-related fatalities are up by a staggering 82% and have made up more than half of officer fatalities this year.  While I know some of that is attributable to increases in traffic enforcement across this great nation of ours, we need to double down on officer safety. 

We know that whether you’re driving to an emergency, investigating a crash or helping a crash victim roadside, or performing a traffic stop, your risk is elevated. We recently renewed our agreement with the National Law Enforcement Memorials Fund to honor fallen heroes and fund lifesaving Below 100 training, which we encourage every officer to take. 

Further, NHTSA is championing “Move Over laws” nationwide. Although states may vary in how their laws are written, moving over is the right thing to do and is the law in all States and the District of Columbia. We have educational and media resources available to States on trafficsafetymarketing.gov to help educate the public and protect those who protect us. 

To conclude, thank you, again, for what you do.  But before I leave, I also ask for your partnership in a way that is deeper and more collaborative than before. We can’t bring down traffic fatalities alone and we need you to help us achieve our mutual goals. Whether you are law enforcement, a prosecutor, toxicologist, prevention specialist, or other traffic safety advocate, I ask you to be a local champion for traffic safety. The negative perception surrounding traffic enforcement didn’t happen overnight and changing this to a positive traffic safety culture will take some time. But by each of us in this room doing our part, working together agency by agency, community by community, we will move the needle. 

Please enjoy the conference and take advantage of the educational opportunities it offers. Learn from each other, build relationships, and maybe even create a new partnership you hadn’t expected.  And stay safe out there. 

Thank you.