Our Highway Safety Program is dedicated to the reduction of impaired drivers along the roadways in the state. Impaired driving continues to be an issue in the state with DUID (driving under the influence of drugs). The impaired driving program is designed mainly for law enforcement to enforce the DUI laws of the state. Many law enforcement agencies use overtime funding to increase extra patrols in their jurisdictions. These extra patrols allow for safer roadways by reducing the amount of reckless drivers along them.

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The program has many different elements to it. The latest and greatest change is the new addition of the National Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program which was developed to arrest and convict drivers impaired by drugs other than alcohol. The DEC process is a systematic, standardized, post-arrest procedure to determine whether a suspect is impaired by one or more categories of drugs. The process is systematic because it is based on a variety of observable signs and symptoms proven to be reliable indicators of drug impairment.

 

Officers who complete an extensive training program are certified as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). DREs learn to observe a suspect’s appearance, behavior, performance of psycho-physical tests, eyes in different lighting conditions, and vital signs to ascertain what category or categories of drugs have been used. (US Department of Transportation)