Scheduled for March, the event will launch a broader agency initiative focused on finding solutions to the growing problem of driving under the influence of drugs.
by Staff
January 25, 2018
Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
1 min to read
Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will host a summit on March 15 to address the growing problem of drugged driving.
The summit will kick off a broader agency initiative focused on finding solutions to the problem, according to NHTSA. Driving under the influence of drugs is already against the law in all 50 states. But in light of the national opioid epidemic, coupled with the trend of more states legalizing marijuana, the agency is making the drugged driving dilemma a top priority.
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“Nobody can solve drugged driving alone, but by sharing best practices we can begin to save lives today — we cannot afford to wait,” said Heidi King, NHTSA deputy administrator. “And by advancing the science and data, we can address this problem for our communities in the future.”
The summit will explore methods for educating the public on drugged driving risks, collecting consistent data and tracking drugged driving offenses, testing and measuring driver impairment levels, and enforcing drugged driving laws, NHTSA said.
Summit participants will include safety advocates, state and local elected officials, data and policy experts, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, toxicologists, drug recognition experts and U.S. Transportation Department employees.
The agency will release more details about the summit when they become available.
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