a. Public Awareness & Risk Prevention b. Driver Education

a. Public Awareness & Risk Prevention

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation specifically targeting drugged drivers; however few motorists know that drugged driving is a crime, and there are not enough law enforcement officers or public education activities that are actively engaged in raising the profile of this epidemic problem. To reduce drugged driving, police and communities will have to make it known that drugged driving will not be tolerated.

Law enforcement needs to be engaged in educating the public and especially younger drivers about the risks of driving drugged. Police departments can train and employ more Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) to patrol the streets and apprehend drugged drivers before they do harm to themselves and others. There are currently 44 states participating in the DRE program with over 7,500 DRE's and instructors.

The more visible the police are in stopping and arresting drugged drivers, and the more they make it clear that drugged driving is impermissible, the sooner drivers will understand that drugged driving is unacceptable.

b. Driver Education Another of our aims is to ensure that all drivers understand the grave risks they would face when driving under the influence of any drug. Student drivers must be made aware that drugged driving is as dangerous as drunk driving through driver education programs. Drivers should also feel that if they drive drugged they are liable and likely to be caught, and that anyone caught driving with drugs in his system will face serious legal consequences.

Driver Education Resources

Driver Licensing Information

The Center for Disease Control has created a national database of state driver licensing laws and graduated driver's license programs.

Chronic: A Report on the State of Teen Driving 2005

One way to make America's communities safer is to help American teens become as safe as they can be on the road. It is with that goal in mind that The Allstate Foundation, in conjunction with an expert advisory board and with the knowledge, experience, and resources of our program partners, has prepared this report on the state of teen driving. The focus is teen attitudes, the underlying mindset that conventional teen-driver programs largely do not address. Making a positive difference in the way teens think about driving offers the best hope of reducing teen accidents and deaths.