May 15 and 16, 2012
Substance-impaired driving kills over ten thousand Americans every year and injures many more. Over 90 percent of all transportation deaths occur on our roads and one-third of these fatalities involve impairment from alcohol or drugs.
Since the invention of the automobile, policymakers, law enforcement, safety activists, and communities have struggled with how to stop substance-impaired driving; and it has been a major NTSB concern for more than 40 years. The agency has conducted special safety studies and produced dozens of accident reports generating over 100 safety recommendations on the issue. However, the Board has not made a new recommendation on substance-impaired driving in a decade. During that time, traffic deaths from all causes have dropped, but the percentage of those killed by a substance-impaired driver has remained unchanged.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is planning a May 15th and 16th forum on this issue. The forum will identify the most effective, data-driven, science-based actions needed to "reach zero" accidents resulting from substance-impaired driving. This includes taking a fresh look at the Board's previous work and assessing the need for updated or new safety recommendations. Panels will critically examine the knowledge, interventions, and public policy considerations needed to address this national safety problem aggressively.
NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will lead the forum with all five of the NTSB Board Members participating. Expert panelists will include representatives of federal, state, and local governments; leading researchers, law enforcement, the judiciary, industry, treatment experts, and advocacy groups. It will take place at the NTSB Conference Center in Washington, D.C., on May 15 and 16, 2012. The event is open to the public and will include exhibits featuring the latest in technology and tools designed to keep substance-impaired drivers off the road. There is no cost to attend the forum and no registration is required. In addition, it will be webcast live on ntsb.gov. A draft agenda and list of panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.