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ADVOCACY

The Institute for Behavior and Health sees three major opportunities for reform, improvement, and progress on the Drugged Driving front. These are Enforcement, Prevention, and Treatment.

You can learn more about what is happening and what more needs to be done in each of these areas by following the links.

You can also learn more what The Institute for Behavior and Health is currently working on the make the roads safer for all those who travel them. Vist our Projects section.

Enforcement | Prevention | Treatment


Current Projects

  • Screening and Brief Intervention Recommendations

April 2008

The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization which accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the US, has expressed interest in mandating that all patients admitted to Shock Trauma Centers and Emergency Rooms be screened for drug and alcohol use. Those testing positive for substance use would be subjected to a "brief intervention" by a health-care practitioner, wherein the physician or nurse would ask about the patient's drug and alcohol use and recommend treatment if necessary.

The Institute for Behavior and Health is strongly in favor of this proposal and is encouraging the Joint Commission to adopt this proposal. Two-thirds of those admitted to Shock Trauma Centers are victims of motor vehicle crashes, and as many as half of these crashes are attributable to drugged driving. It is imperative that all patients admitted to trauma centers be tested for drugs and alcohol. Read our supporting statement.

  • National Narcotics Officers' Associations Coalition

February 2008

Robert L. DuPont, M.D., President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, addressed the National Narcotics Officers' Associations Coalition at their Board of Delegate's Meeting on February 25, 2008 about the enormous opportunity for reducing illegal drug use that Stopping Drugged Driving represents. The delegates in the audience represented more than 65,000 Narcotics Officers and they were very eager to hear Dr. DuPont's speech. Several members were interested in working with IBH to develop effective strategies for their states to enact per se drugged driving laws.

  • Maryland Task Force to Combat Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol

January 2008

In July 2007 Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley established a Task Force to conduct “. . a top to bottom review of Maryland's impaired driving program to include an assessment of the strategies used in the past 20 years in the fight against drinking and drugged driving in Maryland and to develop recommendations for addressing the problem of impaired driving in the future". The Institute for Behavior and Health is working with the Task Force to ensure that drugged driving, a highway safety problem that is on the scale of the better known problems of drunk driving, is addressed using the best practices for prevention and law enforcement.

The Task Force held a Special Meeting on Drugged Driving, following the repeated calls for more proactive measures to combat drugged driving in Maryland. Robert L. DuPont, M.D., and Mike Walsh, partners in the fight against drugged driving, were invited to speak to the Task Force Committee about the growing threat of drugged driving. You can watch the slide presentation delivered by Dr. DuPont here.

At a previous subcommittee meeting on Raising Public Awareness About and Involvement in Reducing Impaired Driving, IBH representatives Mike McEleney and Robert Walker gave a presentation on the need for comprehensive legislation to combat drugged driving including the use of the per se standard and the use of oral fluid and urine testing as well as blood testing. They also noted the many current barriers to successful prosecution of drugged Drivers and encouraged the Task Force to make strong recommendations to the Governor for implementing tougher sanctions against drugged driving including making driving violations involving both alcohol and illegal drugs be considered an aggravated offense. Maryland must make sure that the law enforcement officers have the tools they need to reduce this growing problem.

For more information on the Task Force, or to find out about upcoming meetings please visit: the Maryland Manual Online