The NYS STOP-DWI Program is funded exclusively by fines collected from drunk and/or drugged driving convictions. It was the first program of its kind in the nation, and since it was enacted, has served as a model for similar programs across the country.
The program empowers localities to enact creative and collaborative strategies utilizing education, awareness and enforcement to address drunk and drugged driving and prevent tragedies resulting from impaired-driving crashes. The program provides a platform for STOP-DWI Coordinators from each county and the City of New York to exchange ideas and collectively discuss and act upon mutual objectives that help advance these goals.
Through this collaboration, New York State has made significant progress in reducing drunk-driving crashes, injuries and fatalities. Since 2009, data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and research shows that all alcohol-related crashes in New York have decreased by nearly 10 percent. Fatal alcohol-related crashes have fallen by nearly 30 percent and personal injury crashes have declined almost 16 percent.
Building on the success of the STOP-DWI Program, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, in partnership with the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation, support the state’s Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training program. DREs are utilized by law enforcement officials when a driver appears to be impaired, but police have ruled out alcohol as the cause or sole cause of impairment. A DRE receives extensive training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). There are now more than 300 certified DREs statewide.
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The New York State STOP-DWI Association, Inc. (formerly, the New York State STOP-DWI Coordinators Association) is comprised of the duly appointed STOP-DWI Coordinator of each county and the City of New York. Individually and collectively, the coordinators carry out their statutory mandate to reduce the incidence of deaths and injuries caused by drunk and/or drug-impaired drivers through the development and administration of plans combining strategies for increased enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, probation, rehabilitation, education, and public information. The Association provides a forum for the exchange of ideas as well as the creation, development and administration of new and innovative approaches for dealing with the drinking and/or drug-impaired driver. It also serves as a vehicle to advocate for public policy to further the goals of the NYS STOP-DWI Program — a Statewide initiative funded wholly by fines collected from convicted drivers, and which has received Presidential and Congressional recognition for its innovative self-sufficient approach.
The Association acts as a resource to the county programs by providing a website and Facebook page as well as establishing list serves for county coordinators and county prosecutors to facilitate real-time communication regarding legal strategies and best practices.
In addition, our Association member dues help to provide school and community groups with cutting-edge educational materials through our website including a Vimeo channel with videos and public service announcements, Power Point presentations and access to the latest research in the field.
Since its creation more than thirty years ago, the STOP-DWI Association has served as both an incubator and advocate for the collective development of new legislation, including the nation’s first ignition interlock law, aggravated DWI for high BAC offenders and those who drive drunk with children in the vehicle, permanent revocation for persistent offenders, increased levels of vehicular crimes, mandatory assessment and screening for certain offenders and many other amendments to State laws that have significantly increased the tools, penalties and sanctions available to address the multi-faceted problems and dangers presented by the drinking driver. The Association’s current legislative agenda proposes significant changes to address the challenges of the drug-impaired drivers.
Finally, the STOP-DWI Association has established a Foundation, the purpose of which is to apply for, accept and distribute grants from any federal, state, municipal or private source or sources in order to provide additional funding to facilitate the purposes and goals of the STOP-DWI Program as set forth in the State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
Since the enactment of the STOP-DWI Program in 1981, the chances of being killed by a drunk/impaired driver has been reduced by 70%.
The Association is a not-for-profit corporation organized pursuant to IRC 501 © (4); is registered with the New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying and is recognized by the New York State Association of Counties.
(Association Counsel Chris Cernik, 2014)
The abstract in this study reads:
The purpose of this two-volume guide is to assist officials and members of the public interested in establishing an impaired-driving task force at a local or regional but not statewide level or who are exploring ways to improve their current task forces. Volume I is based on case studies of nine local task forces in Costa Mesa, California; Pikes Peak Region, Colorado; Leon County, Florida; Southeastern Louisiana; Gallatin County, Montana; Broome County, New York; Bexar County, Texas; Fairfax County, Virginia; and Kent, Washington. These task forces represent a range of histories, structures, and approaches. This guide addresses (1) how local task forces were formed, (2) the structure and operation of local task forces, (3) the types of activities the task forces perform, (4) how local task forces obtain and manage funding and other resources, (5) task force strengths and weaknesses, and (6) how to avoid pitfalls and obstacles that confront task forces. The task force contacts for this study are included in Appendix A to this volume. Complete case studies are included in Volume II.
In 1910 New York became the first state to pass a drunk driving law, with California and others soon following. That year there were less than 150 miles of paved roads in the nation and fewer than 8,000 motor vehicles.
George Smith, a London taxi driver, is believed to be he first person to be convicted of drunk driving, on 10 September 1897. He was fined 20 shillings about $4.60.
Early laws simply prohibited driving while intoxicated, requiring proof of a state of intoxication with no specific definition of what level of inebriation qualified. The first generally-accepted legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.15.
In 1938, the American Medical Association created a “Committee to Study Problems of Motor Vehicle Accidents”. At the same time, the National Safety Council set up a “Committee on Tests for Intoxication”.
In the US, most of the laws and penalties were greatly enhanced starting in the late 1970s, and through the 1990s, largely due to pressure from groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) and leaders like Candy Lightner. Significantly, zero tolerance laws were enacted which criminalized driving a vehicle with 0.01 or 0.02 BAC for drivers under 21. This is true even in Puerto Rico, despite maintaining a legal drinking age of 18.
Drunk driving crashes remain the leading cause of death of young Americans nearly 18,000 Americans were killed in alcohol related crashes last year.
In October 2005 NHTSA did a review of NY State’s STOP-DWI Program. “A Review of New York State’s STOP-DWI Program”
The abstract in this study reads:
New York’s STOP-DWI program is the Nation’s first and, to date, only self-sustaining impaired driving program. Other States have implemented components of self-sufficiency, but none to the degree of New York State. The mission of New York’s STOP-DWI program is to empower and coordinate local efforts to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes within the context of a comprehensive and financially self-sustaining statewide alcohol and highway safety program. The program’s goal is to achieve these reductions through the creation and funding of programs relating to enforcement, prosecution, probation, rehabilitation, public information, education and administration. The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the New York STOP-DWI program, including:
