APPENDIX A: GRANT PROPOSAL MADD National Law Enforcement Impaired Driving Summit
Objective: To bring together law enforcement executives from across the country to address the impaired driving problem. New strategies will be developed to address the continued problem of drunk driving and the emerging problem of drugged driving. The development of new strategies to fight impaired driving will greatly assist MADD in its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and help MADD achieve its mission: to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. Rationale: Since its founding in 1980, MADD has been instrumental in helping reduce drunk driving incidents by over 50%. However, alcohol related traffic crashes still account for over 10,000 deaths every year on our nation’s roadways. In 2015 and 2016, significant increases occurred in these deaths and the numbers are currently trending in the wrong direction. Due to several factors ‐ including the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana now in eight states and the District of Columbia ‐ drug impaired driving has also become an emerging and serious public safety threat. In 2015, MADD added drugged driving to its mission statement and developed a task force to address this emerging problem. Background and Need: Impaired driving is once again on the increase across the nation. The general public and some in the law enforcement community, have become complacent to this public safety threat. In 2015, 10,265 people lost their lives on our nation’s roadways due to drunk driving. This was a 3.2% increase from the 9,967 lives lost in 2014. This number is expected to rise again by another 3‐4% when the 2016 numbers are finalized and released. 29% of the 35,092 people killed in traffic crashes in 2015 were alcohol related with a driver’s BAC at .08 or higher. Impaired driving is a 100% preventable crime. Drugged driving is also on the increase and exact data to support how this problem is affecting public safety is not known. The opioid overdose crisis, the abuse of prescription drugs and the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana are emerging as public safety threats across the country, especially on our nation’s roadways. New strategies to address these issues need to be developed and implemented. The public and law enforcement community need to be reinvigorated to fight impaired driving. Method: MADD proposes facilitating a 2‐½ day National Law Enforcement Impaired Driving Summit in the Washington DC area. Seventy‐five law enforcement executives and MADD Staff will participate. Subject matter experts will be brought in to address all areas of the impaired driving problem. Strategies and implementation plans will be developed and documented in a final report.
All four tenants of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving will be reviewed and reinforced during this summit. These tenants are:
Support our heroes : Support high‐visibility law enforcement to catch drunk drivers and discourage others from driving drunk.
Sober to start : Require ignition interlock devices, or in‐car breathalyzers, for all drunk drivers, to prove they are sober before their car will start.
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