AAA recognizes the growing threat of drugged driving, whether drugs are prescribed or illicit. AAA continues to be a leader in traffic safety through advocacy and development of proven countermeasures.
- Better data collection: Require mandatory drug and alcohol testing for drivers involved in fatal and serious injury crashes. Also, separate and distinct sanctions for alcohol- and drug-impaired driving would help to improve data on each.
- Toxicology Lab Support: Without timely toxicology support, even the best enforcement strategies fall short. Sustained investment in laboratory capacity, modern instrumentation, and specialized personnel is essential to ensure drug-impaired driving cases can be fully investigated and prosecuted—and to make our roads safer for everyone.
- Education and training for criminal justice practitioners: Law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges would benefit from specialized training on the complexities of drug-impaired driving.
- Better laws to prevent impaired driving: AAA is dedicated to promoting driver safety through education and advocacy. Listed are a few examples of the impaired-driving prevention laws that AAA supports:
- Administrative Suspension: Law providing for immediate license suspension for drivers who refuse to submit to a chemical test or fail a BAC test for being above the legal limit.
- DUI Checkpoints: DUI, or sobriety, checkpoints are enforcement programs that allow police to stop vehicles to check on the sobriety of the drivers.
- DWI Courts/Drug Courts also known as Sobriety Courts: A DWI/Drug court or sobriety court is an intensive probation program that puts the emphasis on recovery from alcoholism or substance abuse to help reduce repeat DUI offences.
- Ignition Interlock Devices: A device installed in a vehicle to prevent it from starting if the driver’s BAC is above a set limit.
- Open Container Laws: Prohibit the possession of any open alcoholic beverage or cannabis container and the consumption of these products in the passenger area of a motor vehicle.
- Vehicle Based Sanctions: Provide for seizure and sale of the vehicle operated by an offender at the time an alcohol-related offense was committed.
- .05 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Per Se Laws: States should lower their per se limit for impairment to 0.05 BAC. If all U.S. states adopted a 0.05 BAC limit, approximately 1,302 lives could be saved annually.
- E-Warrants: The implementation of electronic warrant (e-warrant) systems drastically reduces the time needed to issue a warrant from hours to minutes, securing critical evidence, increasing conviction rates, and serving as a proven deterrent against impaired driving.
- Oral Fluid Drug Screening: Enact or update statutes to explicitly authorize the use of roadside oral fluid testing for preliminary drug screening, clearly defining its role in the process and its nonevidentiary nature.
- Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Programs: Enact legislation that allows a law enforcement officer to conduct a forensic blood draw as a “qualified person” for investigative purposes.