Introductory Letter Call To Action Table of Contents Program Brochure Resource Guide Overview Mobilization Partners Available Materials Prevention & Public Education Legislation Enforcement Prosecution, Adjudication and Treatment Partnerships & Outreach Program Management Research & Evaluation NHTSA Inventory Order Form Media Kit Media Tools Fact Sheets Mobilization Hand-Out Logo Slicks

ENFORCEMENT

• Breath Testing
  Evolving from work started in the early 1970s, NHTSA maintains up-to-date model specifications for evidential breath test devices, as well as calibrating units for evidential breath testers, and alcohol screening devices. A full-time chemist and technician are supported in our laboratory at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As part of this program, NHTSA updates (at least annually) Conforming Products Lists (CPLs) for each class of devices (evidential breath testers, alcohol screening devices, and calibrating units for evidential breath testers). Other laboratory research on alcohol measurement issues (e.g., ignition interlock devices, saliva-alcohol test devices, etc.) are periodically undertaken when resources allow. This program also supports the DOT-wide workplace alcohol testing program.

• Field Validation of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) at Lower BAC Limits
  Item Number: DOT HS 808 839 (Order #7P0110)
  Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), used routinely by law enforcement since the mid-1980s, were originally validated at the .10 BAC level. Now that many states have lowered their BAC limit to .08 BAC, there was a need to validate whether these standardized tests are also appropriate for use at the new, lower BAC limit. Additional data were also collected assessing how predictive SFSTs are in identifying youth under 21 who had consumed enough alcohol to violate the zero-tolerance law. With the cooperation of the San Diego, California Police Department, a study has been completed entitled "Validation of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test Battery at BACs below 0.10 Percent."

• DWI Detection at BACs below 0.10
  Item Number: DOT HS#808 654 (Order #2P1044)
  NHTSA has sponsored a number of research projects during the past twenty years to improve law enforcement officers’ ability to detect drivers and motorcyclists whose driving/riding is impaired by alcohol. Visual cues that were good predictors of DWI were identified and training materials for law enforcement use were developed. When those projects were undertaken, the legal limit for alcohol was 0.10 in most jurisdictions. Now that many states have lowered the legal BAC limit to 0.08, and many others have passed zero-tolerance laws for youth under 21, there is a need to identify driving cues that predict DWI at BACs below 0.10. A technical report describing this research is available (DOT HS 808 654) as well as training materials for police use. The Visual Detection of DWI Motorists (DOT HS 808 677) is a brochure with accompanying training video for law enforcement to identify DWI motorists at BACs below 0.10.

• Field Test of On-Site Drug Detection Devices
  Item Number: DOT HS#808 677 (Order #2P1048)
  NHTSA is sponsoring a major field test of on-site drug detection devices for use by law enforcement. These devices are disposable urine test kits that determine the presence or absence of drugs (e.g., marijuana, amphetamines, and cocaine). The primary purpose of the field test is to determine the accuracy and utility of commercially available devices when used by trained police officers in the field. The results of the field test will also provide information on the extent to which these devices can be used to strengthen and enhance existing and future DEC program activities. The research is being conducted by ISA Associates of Alexandria, VA in collaboration with the Center for Human Toxicology of the University of Utah. The two cooperating police agencies are the Nassau Co., New York Police Department, and the Houston, Texas Police Department. The project is scheduled for completion by March of 2000.

• Juvenile Holdover
  Report (2P0008) Video: HS#X0255 (6A0002)
  A pervasive problem reported in most jurisdictions throughout the country concerns detaining juveniles after apprehension for impaired driving or alcohol offenses. In most of these cases the offense does not require detention but, because of the unavailability of parents, in many instances juveniles must be "held." Because of federal guidelines, juveniles cannot be locked up in adult facilities. It is frequently necessary, therefore, for the arresting officer to "baby sit" until a parent can be located, sometimes for hours. Other options would be to deliver the juvenile to a detention center which, in most parts of the country, is a long distance away. Some jurisdictions have developed innovative methods to temporarily hold juveniles that does not require the continued presence of the arresting officer.

  This project calls for the Council of State Governments to identify these innovative programs, develop guidelines for other communities to replicate (now under development) and provide training to interested communities. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice, has joined NHTSA in this effort and will sponsor training in states by the end of the year 1999.

• Visual Detection of DWI Motorists
  Item Number: DOT HS 808 677 (Order #6P0058)
  This brochure provides law enforcement officers with information on detecting impaired motorists, articulating observed behaviors on arrest reports and ways to support officers’ expert testimony. A compact DWI Detection Guide is provided, along with a summary of the research that led to the guide, explanations of the 24 driving cues and a description of post-stop cues that are predictive of DWI.

• The Detection of DWI Motorcyclists
  Order #2P0008
  This brochure provides law enforcement officers information on identifying behavioral cues to detecting impaired motorcycle operators. The brochure discusses 14 rider behaviors found to best distinguish between impaired and unimpaired motorcyclists. These behaviors are then grouped into two categories: Excellent Predictors (a 50 percent or more probability of DWI) and Good Predictors (a 30 to 49 percent probability of DWI). In addition to a training video available for roll-call settings, a pocket detection guide accompanies the brochure (DOT HS 807 856; Order #2P0905). A technical report, The Detection of DWI Motorcyclists (DOT HS 807 839; Order #6P0026), that provides additional details of the research is available.

• Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: The Science and the Law
  Item Number: DOT HS 808 938 (Order #5P0235)
  A resource guide for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on horizontal gaze nystagmus as a component of NHTSA’s Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Program.

• Checkpoint Tennessee: An Evaluation of Tennessee’s Statewide Sobriety Checkpoint Program
  Item Number: DOT HS 808 841 (Order #7P0108)
  This report documents the "Checkpoint Tennessee" program. The program involved the use of extensive statewide sobriety checkpoints accompanied by high publicity. The program resulted in a 20% reduction in alcohol-related crashes extending at least 21 months after conclusion of the formal program.

• The Use of Sobriety Checkpoints for Impaired Driving Enforcement (Video)
  Order #4P0002
  This 19-minute video provides training for law enforcement managers and officers on guidelines for safely and effectively conducting sobriety checkpoints.

• Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Training Programs
  These training programs are provided to states and communities and include an instructor and student components. A training curriculum is available for each program to train instructors. NHTSA and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) are responsible for providing and updating the curricula. Standards have been developed for the DRE and SFST programs by NHTSA and IACP.

• Rural Youth Enforcement Initiative
  NHTSA, in collaboration with the National Sheriffs’ Association, is conducting an innovative program with rural law enforcement officials on youth issues. The project is designed to increase the involvement of Sheriff’s Offices in traffic enforcement and contribute to the reduction of incidences of youthful impaired drivers.

• Youth Enforcement Workshop
  This workshop is available for states and communities and addresses underage drinking, possession and purchase of alcohol, and use of false identification. The workshop is currently being revised to include information on youth drugged driving, and will be available in 2000.

• Youth DWI and Underage Enforcement Manual
  Item Number: DOT HS#X0522 (Order #4P0068)
  Manual written by police officers describing effective strategies and techniques for enforcing under-age drinking laws and youthful impaired driving laws.

• Smart Card Technology
  NHTSA, in cooperation with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, has been testing a smart card technology to determine the effectiveness of reducing underage sales of alcohol beverages. A report will be completed and distributed by the end of 1999.

• College Binge Drinking
  NHTSA, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, is conducting a demonstration program which will result in a manual for state ABC officials. The manual will describe strategies that state ABC agencies can use to assist college communities in dealing with underage drinking.