Best Practices of Successful State Impaired-Driving Task Forces
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Summary
This report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2024, addresses the persistent public safety challenge of impaired driving in the United States. Despite historical declines, impaired-driving fatalities have stagnated since the late 1990s, with alcohol-impaired drivers involved in approximately 30% of traffic fatalities in 2021. Concurrently, DUI arrests have declined, and the prevalence of drugged driving, particularly involving cannabis and opioids, has increased. The study was motivated by the need to update guidance for State impaired-driving task forces—multidisciplinary groups that coordinate countermeasures—following a previous NHTSA guide published in 2009. The research aimed to identify best practices that distinguish successful task forces, thereby helping States prioritize and implement effective strategies to reduce crashes and fatalities. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) conducted the study using a mixed-methods approach. First, researchers performed a literature review of academic publications and “gray” literature (government reports, state documents) from 2012 to 2022 to identify currently operating State task forces. Through outreach to NHTSA Regional Offices and organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), NORC identified 32 State task forces, 15 of which were active. From these, nine task forces were selected for in-depth study based on geographic representation across NHTSA regions and distinct operational characteristics. The selected States included North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and Montana. NORC researchers conducted structured, hour-long discussions with key informants from each task force to gather qualitative data on their structure, operations, challenges, and outcomes. The findings highlight specific attributes associated with successful task forces. Key best practices include ensuring diverse membership that represents various perspectives, including hospitality, alcohol, and cannabis industries, as well as integrating diversity, racial equity, and inclusion into membership goals. Successful task forces are characterized by strong leadership, self-motivated members, and high meeting attendance. They operate with clear charters and strategic plans, hold members accountable for implementing specific strategies, and consistently track progress toward goals. Other effective practices involve engaging meeting agendas, recognizing member contributions, and developing annual reports to document progress. The study also noted that successful task forces often leverage NHTSA resources and adopt the Safe System Approach to address impaired driving through enforcement, engineering, education, and outreach. The significance of this report lies in its provision of actionable guidance for States seeking to establish or enhance impaired-driving task forces. The study concludes that these task forces are instrumental in adopting key legislation, increasing enforcement, establishing DWI courts, and improving treatment for offenders. By bringing together stakeholders from law enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, and public health, task forces facilitate the identification of loopholes and the implementation of comprehensive countermeasures. The report emphasizes that while quantitative measurement of task force success is challenging due to data inconsistencies, the qualitative evidence demonstrates that well-structured, diverse, and accountable task forces are critical mechanisms for reducing impaired-driving fatalities and injuries.
Key finding
Successful state impaired-driving task forces are characterized by strong leadership, diverse stakeholder representation, consistent progress tracking, and member accountability.
Methodology
mixed_methods
Sample size: 9
Provenance
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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: policy recommendations