The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded more than $100,000 in grant funding last week to five states and one territory through the Governors Highway Safety Association to support Drug Recognition Expert and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement training.
The training program is managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The goal is to increase the number of police officers trained to recognize drug-impaired drivers.
Officers enrolled in the course learn how to observe, identify, and articulate the signs of impairment related to drugs and/or alcohol.
“Law enforcement is the first line of defense when it comes to removing impaired drivers from our roads and protecting the traveling public,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi R. King said. “Ensuring that law enforcement officers are properly trained to recognize and handle drug-impaired drivers is a direct investment in safety. This grant is one more way in which the Department of Transportation is helping our state and local partners address this risk to the traveling public.”
Funding, which must be spent during fiscal year 2019, was awarded to Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Guam.
The grants supplement Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Evaluator funding awarded earlier in the year.