MADD Calls for Greater Use of High-visibility Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 12, 2005)

As Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) anticipates its 25th anniversary later this year, the organization released today a new Law Enforcement Leadership Summit Report in support of law enforcement's efforts to stop drunk driving and lower the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

MADD's new report includes six recommendations for increasing the use of general deterrence strategies to stop drunk driving - such as sobriety checkpoints, more training and resources for law enforcement, enhanced criminal justice system efficiency, and for the prevention of drunk driving to be a key priority for law enforcement leaders. The call for renewed enforcement efforts grew out of a 2004 MADD Law Enforcement Leadership Summit of more than 50 law enforcement leaders and traffic safety professionals from around the country along with organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA).

"A key goal of the Summit was to engage law enforcement in a dialogue about the importance of preventing drunk driving in order to save lives and prevent injuries," said Wendy J. Hamilton, MADD national president. "We also wanted to share the scientific evidence showing that frequent and highly visible enforcement activities have the greatest impact on deterring drunk driving."

Despite a slight dip in 2003, national alcohol-related traffic fatalities remain relatively flat at more than 17,000 annually and half a million injuries. However, an alcohol-related traffic crash still claims a life every half-hour, on average.

Recommendations for Increased Law Enforcement

The Summit led to an action plan for dramatically reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries. The plan includes these six recommendations for law enforcement agencies, legislators, state officials and highway safety organizations:

Focus on general deterrence approaches that prevent alcohol-related traffic deaths and injuries. Research clearly shows that strategies such as sobriety checkpoints save lives and prevent injuries. Resources must be available to fund high-visibility law enforcement efforts. Currently, law enforcement agencies around the country have limited resources which are already stretched thin in meeting the demands of their communities.
Make prevention of alcohol-related crashes a priority for law enforcement agencies, within both their departments and the local community. While arresting offenders is important for roadway safety, the prevention of drunk driving is also critical. Law enforcement agencies must redefine success in terms of a reduction of alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities - not just the number of DUI arrests.
Promote paid advertising to publicize enforcement efforts. When a community is aware of stepped-up enforcement efforts, drivers think twice about driving while impaired. Sufficient resources must be allocated to make sure the word is out that drunk driving will not be tolerated.
Increase funding for high-profile enforcement efforts. Alcohol-related traffic crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. Funding assistance for DUI overtime, training and equipment is critical to ensure the effective enforcement necessary to save lives and prevent injuries.
Emphasize the need to train officers. The average law enforcement officer receives eight hours of training on impaired driving, yet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Criminal Justice Association recommend at least 40 hours of academy training on impaired driving.
Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system's handling of drunk driving cases. Law enforcement officers across the country face administrative barriers that often make it difficult to take drunk drivers off the road. Overcoming these barriers allows officers to spend more time on actual enforcement.

Sobriety Checkpoints

Sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 20 percent on average according to a 2002 study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists published in the "Traffic Injury Prevention" journal. Several studies in the 1990s found that sobriety checkpoints save lives when they are conducted frequently and are highly publicized. These studies, which were conducted in both urban and rural areas, showed that the checkpoints led to a decrease of between 18 percent and 24 percent in alcohol-related traffic fatalities, injuries and property damage.

"Research in Tennessee and more recently by the CDC clearly tells us that checkpoints are the most effective tool we have to deter drunk drivers and save lives," said Hamilton.

Checkpoints allow officers to stop all or a predetermined sequence of vehicles to check for sobriety of the drivers. The legality of checkpoints has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite research showing the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints, they are not allowed currently in 11 states: Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

IACP First Vice President Mary Ann Viverette, Chief of the Gaithersburg, Maryland Police Department, said, "Drunk drivers are a threat to all of our communities and the IACP applauds MADD's efforts to reduce the dangerous practice. More than two decades of research have demonstrated that sobriety checkpoints work; they are an effective way to get impaired drivers off of our roads."

Susan Ferguson, senior vice president for research, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said, "Checkpoints will work in any jurisdiction to deter drinking drivers from getting behind the wheel, as long as there is publicity to increase public awareness."

Next Steps

MADD representatives will share such research with lawmakers this year as MADD seeks additional federal funding for law enforcement overtime, training and equipment.

Hamilton added, "If the nation is serious about stopping drunk driving, it is imperative that the highway funding bill includes increased resources for law enforcement to conduct checkpoints and for paid advertising to support these efforts. Tremendous progress has been made in increasing national seat belt usage by combining paid advertising and concentrated seat belt enforcement. MADD believes the combination of high visibility enforcement and paid ads will go a long way to reducing alcohol-related death and injury."

In 2005, MADD members and supporters will ask state and local law enforcement leaders to use checkpoints more frequently; and in states that do not allow checkpoints, MADD will work to remedy those situations and support other high-visibility enforcement. Over the next two years, MADD will join forces with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to hold six additional law enforcement leadership summits around the country to highlight the need for checkpoints and additional preventative enforcement efforts.

Thomas N. Faust, executive director, National Sheriffs' Association, stated, "The National Sheriffs' Association is proud of its partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It is our belief that if every law enforcement agency implements these recommendations, the number of deaths and injuries caused by drunk drivers could be significantly reduced. The NSA supports the efforts by MADD to reduce drunk driving in the United States."

MADD is the nation's premier anti-drunk driving group and will mark its 25th anniversary on September 5, 2005. The organization has helped save nearly 300,000 lives since its founding.