More than 1,000 people are killed or injured every year in Nebraska because of impaired driving crashes. Over 6,000 drivers are arrested every year in Nebraska for driving under the influence of drugs including alcohol. With those statistics in mind, nearly 100 Nebraska law enforcement officers, highway safety professionals and legal experts will gather for an all-day summit on November 3 in Lincoln to learn more about the effects that drugs have on drivers.
Bill Kovarik is the administrator of the NDOT Highway Safety office and tells KLIN News prescription and illegal drugs, including marijuana, and alcohol all have negative effects on a driver’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. He says this event is meant to increase the awareness of the growing issue of impaired driving that goes beyond alcohol consumption.
“Alcohol impaired driving has decreased over the past ten years, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of other impaired drivers out there on the road,” Kovarik says. “Unfortunately, some of the statistics are not complete and up to date because there was not tracking of certain parts of impairment. We do know there are still a lot of impaired drivers out there.”
Attendees will hear from a number of speakers, including a victim advocate on how impaired driving affects the lives of others, speakers from Colorado where marijuana has been legal since 2012, as well as law enforcement, legal prosecutors and drug rehabilitation counselors.