States Receive New Federal Drugged Driving Grants

Resource Type
News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2018

CONTACT: Madison Forker, 202-580-7930

Delaware, Guam, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and West Virginia receive more than $100,000 to support law enforcement training

Washington, D.C. – Through federal funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is pleased to announce that six states have received more than $100,000 in funding to help law enforcement better address drug-impaired driving.

With these grants, State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in Delaware, Guam, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and West Virginia will provide additional Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training to more than 450 officers. This training is instrumental in removing drug-impaired drivers from the roads, equipping law enforcement with the skills needed to accurately identify, test and subsequently arrest drugged drivers.

“GHSA is grateful for NHTSA’s continued dedication to helping states eradicate drug-impaired driving, as well as its support for law enforcement,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said. “Drugged driving is a growing concern on our roads, and increased training for police officers who are able to detect and evaluate this behavior is very valuable.”

NHTSA’s funding serves to supplement GHSA’s long-running partnership with the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) supporting DRE and ARIDE training, ensuring that all 11 jurisdictions (Delaware, Guam, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia) who applied for grants in 2018 received funding.

Training courses will be executed throughout 2019. Additional information can be found in a NHTSA news release, available at bit.ly/NHTSA-DUIDgrants18

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About GHSA

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadership and representation for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. Contact GHSA at 202-789-0942 or visit www.ghsa.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GHSAhq or follow us on Twitter @GHSAHQ.

State
Delaware
Guam
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
West Virginia