Programs across the United States That Aid Motorists in the Reporting of Impaired Drivers to Law Enforcement
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Summary
This report, commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and conducted by the Southern California Research Institute, addresses the prevalence and operational characteristics of statewide cellular programs that enable motorists to report impaired drivers. The study was motivated by a 2005 Congressional directive requiring NHTSA to evaluate the effectiveness and costs of statewide cellular drunk driving reporting programs that provide free airtime and allow users to dial special numbers, such as *DUI. Prior to this study, no systematic examination existed regarding the frequency or use of such citizen reporting initiatives across the United States. The researchers employed a survey methodology to identify entities in each U.S. state and territory responsible for cellular-telephone-based reporting of impaired drivers. Through contacts at NHTSA Regional Offices and State Highway Safety Offices, they identified key personnel and conducted telephone interviews to gather specific data. The inquiry covered program type, name, initiation date, operational mechanics, phone numbers used, promotion strategies, funding requirements, evaluation history, and reported problems. The goal was to distinguish between dedicated DWI reporting programs and general emergency systems that could be utilized for such reports. The findings indicate that among the 53 states and territories providing data, only six reported having dedicated programs specifically for reporting DWI drivers. The remaining 45 jurisdictions reported using “911” or general emergency programs for this purpose. In most cases, calls made from cellular phones are routed to the appropriate law enforcement agency regardless of whether the caller dialed a dedicated number or 911. The report notes that both dedicated DWI programs and 911-type programs may serve equally well in reporting impaired drivers. For instance, in Colorado, a significant proportion of the 49,000 annual calls received via the *CSP program involve DWI drivers, while in Missouri, approximately 25 percent of weekly 911 calls concern DWI incidents. Common operational challenges cited across various states include incomplete information from callers, insufficient patrol officers to attend to calls, and the difficulty of locating suspect vehicles. The study concludes that the widespread use of 911 systems for reporting impaired driving is consistent with NHTSA’s Office of Emergency Medical Services’ strategy to encourage a single point of contact for all roadway emergencies. The report suggests that dedicated DWI numbers are not strictly necessary for effective reporting, as general emergency lines are widely accessible and utilized for this purpose. The findings support the view that encouraging motorists to report suspected impaired driving as an emergency matter through existing 911 infrastructure is a viable approach for law enforcement.
Key finding
Six states have dedicated programs to report drunk drivers, while 45 states use 911 or general emergency programs for the same purpose.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 57
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
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| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation