Responsibility.org, Traffic Safety Leaders Form National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving, Convene Experts at Conference

ARLINGTON, Va., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading organizations and experts in the traffic safety community formally launched the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID). During the NASID conference, hosted by Responsibility.org in collaboration with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), and the American Automobile Association (AAA), leading experts and key officials will gather to address multiple substance impaired driving as an under-reported cause of many serious and fatal vehicle crashes and create a national action plan to combat this growing problem.

"Forming NASID will bring national focus on the serious issue of people driving while under the influence of any substance, especially combinations of drugs and alcohol," said Darrin Grondel, vice president of government relations and traffic safety at Responsibility.org and director of NASID. "This is the first entity of its kind, formed to address both drunk and drugged driving together and provide a collaborative national focus toward the growing problem of multiple substance impaired driving, as impaired driving continues to be one of the leading causes of death and injury on America's roadways." 

The alliance will put a spotlight on leaders and subject matter experts from the traffic safety community who are leading conversations on how to better combat impaired driving. NASID is a national response to an alarming rise in traffic fatalities, including a nine percent increase in police-reported alcohol-involved crashes in 2020--a year when vehicle miles traveled drastically declined according to preliminary estimates released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

"My parents were killed because of a drug-impaired driver and, unfortunately, stories like mine are all too common as thousands have lost a loved one or friend to an impaired driver," said Brian Swift, executive vice president of the Tarrant County Medical Society and spokesperson for NASID. "With the help of NASID, we can work together, raise awareness and ultimately provide solutions that will make our roads safer and save lives."

Last year, the number of drivers who tested positive for multiple substances increased 4.6% compared to 2019 according to NHTSA. Research has shown that drugs used in combination with alcohol produce greater impairment than substances used on their own.

"The risk of crashes greatly increases when drivers are impaired from more than one substance—and this is a growing problem we're seeing nationwide. By working together with partners dedicated to stopping impaired driving, NASID is on the forefront of encouraging national investment in programs and technology that can ultimately eliminate multiple substance impaired driving," Grondel said.

Despite the higher risks associated with multiple substance impaired driving, it is an underreported problem, and leading experts and officials want and need more information, data, education, and training to recognize, treat, and prevent it.

For more information, visit NASID.org.

About NASID:
The National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID) works to eliminate all forms of impaired driving, especially multiple substance impaired driving, through DUI system reform, DUI detection, data improvements and technology to effectively fight impaired driving. To learn more, please visit NASID.org.

About Responsibility.org:
Responsibility.org is a national not-for-profit that aims to eliminate drunk driving and work with others to end all impaired driving, eliminate underage drinking, and empowers adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices as part of a balanced lifestyle. Responsibility.org is funded by the following distillers: Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Beam Suntory Inc.; Brown-Forman; DIAGEO; Edrington, Mast-Jägermeister US, Inc.; Moët Hennessy USA; Ole Smoky, LLC; Pernod Ricard USA; and William Grant & Sons. For 30 years, Responsibility.org has transformed countless lives through programs that bring individuals, families, and communities together to inspire a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices. To learn more, please visit www.Responsibility.org.

SOURCE National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID)