Lindsey
Once there, the scene looked like a high school football game had just let out. There were kids and cars everywhere. The state trooper would not allow us close to the scene. He then asked me who I was, and I said I am Lindsey’s mom. With a serious but concerned voice he looked at me and said your son has been involved in a fatal crash. Looking at him in desperation, I asked how he was so sure that it was Lindsey. He simply replied that Lindsey had his driver’s license with him. I quickly looked around for Lindsey and Raymond and not seeing either the undeniable truth was starting to sink in.
MADD has always recognized that law enforcement is the foundation to our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. They are the first line of defense, boots on the ground, who give of their time, talents, and in some cases, their life to intercept impaired drivers. The role of a DUI unit comes with unruly people, prisoners who lose control of their faculties in the back of the patrol car, paperwork and reports that are as lengthy as a murder case, depositions on your day off, court appearances after you have worked a twelve-hour shift, and a spouse and kids at home wondering when mom or dad will be back. This cycle is repeated over and over and over and its fueled by the passion and dedication of intercepting an impaired driver before the crash occurs. Anyone can clean up a crash scene, but the real work is preventing it from happening to begin with.
MADD National proudly selects Lieutenant Joshua Battista as our Officer of the Month for July 2021. Lieutenant Battista supervises the Traffic Unit of the Goose Creek, South Carolina Police Department. They exercise a zero-tolerance policy with regard to driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other substances. Under his supervision, Lieutenant Battista’s team was responsible for the following statistics between July 2019 through June 2021:
MADD’s 2021 Court Monitoring Report was recently released and can be found at this link. Of interest, nationally, the conviction rate is only 63% in the 17 states where MADD currently has court monitors. The report also lists state by state reports and all can be found here. .https://www.madd.org/the-solution/drunk-driving/court-monitoring/
MADD/Ipsos Poll: Consumers Support Drunk Driving Prevention Systems in Cars
https://www.prweb.com/releases/madd_ipsos_poll_consumers_support_drunk_driving_prevention_systems_in_cars/prweb17799040.htm
DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT TRAINING (DIDET)
https://www.sheriffs.org/trafficsafety/didet
Drug Impaired Driving Enforcement Training Opportunities Available
Impaired driving is one of the most serious problems on the roads today. As more states legalize recreational and medical marijuana, more law enforcement personnel must be trained in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and as Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). Training has proven to be an effective tool in the fight against impaired driving. Increasing the availability of ARIDE and DRE training to officers, prosecutors, and the judiciary is an important next step. Contracts will be awarded to eligible U.S. law enforcement agencies and organizations to deliver regional training. Read more.
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Overview of Motor Vehicle Crashes in 2019
Overview of the 2019 Crash Investigation Sampling System (dot.gov)
MADD and Waymo’s Tie One On For Safety Holiday Campaign.
2021 National Lifesavers Conference Registration is Open – Registration is now open for the 2021 National Lifesavers Conference on Highway Safety Priorities, which will be held virtually.
Register here >
The IACP has also released many new resources:
- Traffic Enforcement During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Processing DUIs during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Law Enforcement – includes considerations to take when making traffic stops or conducting traffic safety initiatives. Both resources were translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Arabic.
- Safe, Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents toolkit – provides valuable information on adopting practices that facilitate the safe, quick clearance of traffic incidents.
- DRE State Coordinator Best Practices Guide to Managing an Effective DEC Program – contains guidelines and recommendations for state DRE coordinators to enhance their DEC Program.
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On November 12, NHTSA published a Request for Information (RFI) on available or late-stage technology under development for impaired driving detection and mitigation. The RFI’s goal is to better understand the state of emerging technologies, particularly those targeting alcohol-impaired driving. The notice requests information about the capabilities, limitations, and maturity of impaired driving technologies that are being researched, developed, or marketed.
Please share this notice with your members and stakeholders to encourage the broadest possible response to this request. The RFI can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/11/12/2020-24951/request-for-information-impaired-driving-technologies
