Sobering Up

Drinking and driving has been a chronic—and deadly—problem on Montana’s roadways for decades. In 2008, Forbes magazine reported that Montana was ranked as the deadliest state in the nation when it came to per capita DUI-related traffic fatalities. Law and policy makers responded with a list of changes to the Montana legal code, all aimed [...]

Last week the National Association of Drug Court Professionals announced the addition of former U.S. Marine Officer Kenneth Gardner to the Justice for Vets team. Gardner will work as part of the Veterans Treatment Court Planning Initiative (VTCPI) and the Veterans Mentor Court Project. Gardner, who deployed multiple times in his military career in support [...]

According to 2010 alcohol-related traffic fatality data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 70% of deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers involved a driver with a BAC of 0.15 or higher. The legal limit in all 50 U.S. states is 0.08 BAC. In an article in Business Week, NHTSA head David [...]

Take a look at this infographic from www.carinsurance.org on the costs of drunk driving.

According to officials in York County, Pennsylvania, in any given year, 125 drunk drivers are responsible for 600 DUI arrests. That statistic does a good job of illustrating what we know about the Hardcore Drunk Driver: That they’re dangerous, and that they are struggling with alcohol dependence and addiction. Both the York Daily Record and [...]

The National Association of Counties County News published an article this week that looks at the issue of balancing cost and safety when it comes to managing drunk drivers. This was a prominent topic at this week’s NACO conference in Pittsburgh. Drunk drivers are often centerstage in the jail overcrowding debate. Most jurisdictions define them [...]

Despite the fact that all 50 states have implied consent laws, which dole out punishment for refusal to take a sobriety test, refusals are still common practice in many states, and it’s letting repeat drunk drivers who are well versed in their state laws walk away from DUI convictions. Implied consent laws apply penalties to [...]

Congress went to work last week with the passage of the $109 billion Moving Ahead for Progress (MAP) 21 Transportation Bill, and President Obama formalized the legislative process today by signing this historic bill into law. While many of the provisions of this bill are intended to create jobs, address student loan issues, and shore [...]

New York’s groundbreaking Leandra’s Law had its first official challenge last month when an offender sentenced to the mandatory year of ignition interlock challenged his sentence after failing to install the system in the required timeframe, then failing subsequent uploads and tests. Ernan Perez’s challenge represents the first reported one to the state law, but [...]

The Michigan Office for Highway Safety Planning (MOHSP) has announced a new program designed to prompt drunk drivers to find a safe ride home. Sound mundane? You might be surprised. While the message may not be new, the delivery of the message is, and it’s certainly getting people talking. The department has distributed….talking urinal cakes…..to [...]