NHTSA Prosecutor Support for Impaired Driving Grant

NHTSA is responsible for reducing vehicle-related fatalities and injuries on our nation’s highways through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity. States are responsible for laws regulating individual conduct and behavior within their jurisdictions. This includes the regulation of impaired driving. 

The DOT has a long history of development and evaluation of prosecutor training for the prosecution of impaired driving cases. Beginning in 1991, the DOT committed to developing a comprehensive prosecutorial impaired driving program and other highway safety issues to support States and provide prosecutor training. Previous efforts have created five (5) training courses that State prosecutors may use and developed the delivery of the training to States. These training courses include courtroom preparation for law enforcement as law enforcement and prosecutors work closely to reduce drug impaired driving through enforcement and adjudication. NHTSA’s support for prosecutor training development has continued and this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides the opportunity to further develop and evaluate training that will increase the knowledge and skills of State and local prosecutors involved in impaired driving cases.

Currently, eleven (11) States and Washington, DC have legalized marijuana for recreational use and thirty (30) States have legalized marijuana for medical use. With the inception of legalized marijuana, it is predicted that marijuana will play an increased role in impaired driving, creating an increase in serious injury and fatal crashes. With the potential increase in impaired driving events, NHTSA seeks to improve efforts to counter impaired driving through successful enforcement and prosecution of impaired driving laws. This NOFO supports the development of prosecutorial education to reduce injuries and fatal crashes caused by impaired driving.   

The purpose of the Cooperative Agreement is to assist State prosecutors and traffic safety resource prosecutors (TSRPs) in the prosecution of alcohol and drug impaired driving cases. The Recipient will support State and local prosecutors, TSRPs, State prosecutor coordinators and other criminal justice professionals in the development, evaluation and delivery of training to increase the effectiveness of State, and local prosecutors as well as law enforcement personnel in the prosecution of impaired driving cases in State courts. In addition, the Recipient will also hold a yearly training seminar for the State TSRPs to expand prosecutor knowledge on issues presented in impaired driving cases.