Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Montana Attorney General Announces 24/7 Sobriety Program Pilot

In a “bold move” designed to address the Montana’s impaired driving problem, Attorney General Steve Bullock announced that that the state will pilot the 24/7 Sobriety Program in Lewis and Clark County and in Helena. See http://www.helenair.com/news/article_3c579dde-29a9-11df-a375-001cc4c03286.html. The program is based on the South Dakota model developed by former Attorney General Larry Long and currently administered by Attorney General Marty Jackley. Montana is the fourth state to pilot or adopt the program, following South Dakota, North Dakota and Arkansas.

General Bullock’s announcement is welcome news, to say the least. Historically, Montana is one of the worst performing states in the country for drunk driving. In 2008, the state’s impaired driving fatality rate (persons killed in crashes where at least one driver has a BAC above the illegal limit divided by 100 million vehicle miles travelled) was more than double the national average (0.84 versus 0.40) according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. See http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/30_MT/2008/30_MT_2008.htm.

South Dakota data suggests that the program can dramatically reduce recidivism, drive down the fatality rate, and save tax dollars. For more information about this innovative and effective program, see http://www.alcoholandcrime.org/npamc/solutions/programs/programs-sd-sobriety.

Stephen K. Talpins
Chief Executive Officer
National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime