Nevada One of Five States to Receive Grant to Address Drinking- and Drug-Impaired Driving

Nevada is one of five states to receive a grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to address the ongoing issue of drinking- and drug-impaired driving.

According to the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Nevada ranks 13^th highest in the country for DUIs and 28% of the state's traffic fatalities are caused by alcohol-impaired drivers.

Nevada’s Office of Traffic Safety received $17,000.00 to provide training on the Computerized Assessment Referral System (CARS) for Nevada DUI Court judges and DUI Court teams.

CARS can identify substance use disorders and an array of mental health issues, leading to personalized treatment recommendations and more individualized sentencing decisions for defendants, reducing their chances of reoffending.

CARS provides accurate and reliable diagnostic information to the courts so that offenders can receive treatment and learn strategies that will improve their own lives and make Nevada roads safer.

The projects happening in all five states complement recommendations in the 2019 GHSA report on High-Risk Impaired Drivers (HRID), funded by Responsibility.org, which calls for an individualized approach to impaired driving and ultimately led to the creation of the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID), a coalition established and led by Responsibility.org to eliminate all forms of impaired driving.

“Alcohol and drug use increased during the pandemic as people looked for ways to cope, and we know that many of these individuals are also getting behind the wheel. It’s tragic and incredibly frustrating to see impaired driving crashes – which are preventable – kill people every day,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “We’re proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Responsibility.org to fund countermeasures to advance law enforcement detection, expand critical toxicology lab capabilities, and support the screening, assessment and treatment of impaired drivers.”

More information on the grants and previous state program results can be found at Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility | GHSA