Advanced Training Helps Officers Keep Drug-Impaired Drivers Off Road

ARIDE Program Latest Tool to Identify Impaired Drivers

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Impaired driving means
more than simply drunk driving.

While more than 53,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence in
the commonwealth last year, the Pennsylvania State Police said more than 8,500
of those were arrested for drug impairment. In addition, more than 2,100
crashes involved a driver suspected of being under the influence of
prescription or non-prescription drugs.

To help law enforcement officers better detect motorists impaired by drugs,
Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, or ARIDE, was introduced in
Pennsylvania last year.

ARIDE is a 16-hour course taught by a certified drug recognition expert and
provides law enforcement officers with specific indicators that a drug is the
cause of a driver's possible impairment. The program is designed to help
officers make an educated decision about calling a drug recognition expert to
determine if the impairment is a result of drugs.

The program was created to bridge the gap between the standard field sobriety
testing and the sophisticated drug recognition program. Before officers can
participate in ARIDE training, they must demonstrate proficiency in
administering the basic tests associated with sobriety.

Currently, there are 90 ARIDE-trained officers in Pennsylvania State Police
and municipal departments. Another 50 officers will soon attend training in
Harrisburg.

PennDOT will invest $5.6 million in impaired-driving enforcement this year.
That funding covers State Police as well as 49 task forces, consisting of
approximately 500 municipal police departments.

CONTACT: Alison Wenger, PennDOT
(717) 783-8800

Jack Lewis, State Police
(717) 783-5556

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Alison Wenger of PennDOT, +1-717-783-8800, or Jack Lewis of the Pennsylvania
State Police, +1-717-783-5556