COM 0356.006 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Executive Summary Since the early 1980s, the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has encouraged States and communities to create self - sufficient alcohol traffic safety programs in order to consistently address impaired- driving challenges at the local level. State DWI self - sufficiency is one of the qualifying criteria for State -level funding under Section 410 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA -LU). However, it has been difficult for States to gain support to implement at the State level. This report of case studies has been developed for local and regional government officials, traffic safety advocates and community leaders to encourage and support local efforts to develop and implement self - sufficient DWI programs at the community level and promote greater community participation in addressing impaired driving. The objectives of this case studies report are to: 1. Identify and document community -level self - sufficient impaired- driving programs. 2. Provide guidance to communities initiating self - sufficient DWI programs, or adapting existing programs to function more self - sufficiently. In order to best identify successful self - sufficient DWI programs at the community level, a detailed definition of such programs was developed. For the purposes of this case studies report, the following definition is used. Community- Based, Self - Sufficient DWI Program: A DWI program that implements established DWI countermeasures, that is independently managed and operated at a local level, and that uses sustainable funding sources to cover at least 75 percent of program costs. Sustainable funding sources may include fees or fines dedicated to the DWI Program, as well as an established funding stream dedicated exclusively to the DWI program. A self-sufficient DWI program must be funded sufficiently through sustainable sources to function efficiently if non - sustainable funding sources cease. This report features five case studies of community -based self - sufficient DWI programs operating at the local level in various communities across the country. These programs represent the diversity of DWI programming while meeting all of the criteria specified in the definition of "self- sufficient." Two of the programs are enforcement oriented, two focused on offender supervision, and one program is a multijurisdictional community traffic safety coalition providing prevention and intervention programming. In addition to the five programs featured as case studies, other DWI programs with self - sufficient components are briefly described. For the purposes of this report, the abbreviation "DWI" (driving while impaired) is interchangeable with the terms "DUI" (driving under the influence), "DWAI" (driving while alcohol impaired) and "OWI" (operating while intoxicated). It references all behavior involving driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. NHTSA defines impaired driving as operating a motor vehicle while affected by alcohol and/or other drugs, including prescriptions, over - the - counter medicines or illicit substances. "Impaired driving" includes, but is not limited to, impairment, as defined by individual States' statutes. Despite the diversity of self - sufficient DWI programming across the country, programs that are successful in establishing sustainable funding sources and implementing effective DWI programming use similar strategies. These strategies are not exclusive to self - sufficient DWI programming, but appear to be critical to the initial development and ongoing success of such programs. These common strategies are: collaborating; defining scope and realistic objectives; ensuring leadership is supportive; communicating;