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Missouri implements alcohol-testing vans to reduce drunk driving
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By Ra'Vae Edwards
redwards@newstribune.com
LINN, Mo. - In 2006, an average of one person was killed or injured in an alcohol-related traffic crash every 1.6 hours in Missouri.
That equates to 270 deaths and 5,157 injuries.
Bill Whitfield, senior operations specialist with MoDOT's Highway Safety Division, said alcohol-related accidents, caused by an impaired driver, are the only accidents that are 100 percent preventable.
To remove impaired drivers from Missouri's highways, MoDOT with financial assistance from the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration, will have a total of 20 active breath alcohol testing (BAT) vans throughout the state by the end of this year. The program has been in operation since the late 1980s, providing law enforcement officials with the ability to conduct sobriety checkpoints and remove impaired drivers from Missouri's roadways.
Corp. Steven Tilley with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, the latest BAT van recipient, said without the BAT van, his department would not have the ability to remove the number of impaired drivers they take off of the road each year during monthly sobriety checks because the vans give officers an efficient way to catch impaired drivers.
“We would not have the manpower or the ability to catch these drivers and process them properly if we didn't have the vans,” he said. “They are very helpful and they add a lot to the ease of catching an impaired driver before an accident occurs, which in turn has helped save many lives and prevent a lot of accidents.”
Although they are an important tool for law enforcement, the vans carry a hefty price tag. On average, each BAT van costs about $120,000.
And, because funding isn't always available, this creates an issue for law enforcement, which is where MoDOT's Safety Division plays a significant role.
Leanna Depue, director of that department, said funding through the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration's grant program and MoDOT's grant program, gives them the ability to provide these valuable tools to law enforcement agencies.
“We see this as an additional tool that we provide to law enforcement to assist with their sobriety checkpoint program and we are happy that we are able to help provide the funding for these BAT vans,” Depue said.
“One of the key things about doing DWI enforcement is the time it takes an officer to arrest an impaired driver and take them to a location that has the certified instruments officers need. With the BAT vans, they have all of the equipment they need at their fingertips.”
Depue said having the breathalyzer units allow officers to process impaired drivers more efficiently and allows the officer to return to the line in turn giving them the ability to process more drivers during remote sobriety checkpoints.
“We do about 250 checkpoints in the state of Missouri each year,” Depue said. “If you look at the research, it tells us that even though we advertise and tell people we are going to have them, they don't know where they will be located. We are hoping that by conducting additional (sobriety) checkpoints, we are deterring people from choosing to drink and drive.”
Whitfield said the number of vehicles that go through a checkpoint varies from 200 to 800, as does the number of impaired drivers removed from highways.
Depue said during sobriety checkpoints, officers often find more than an impaired driver.
“Officers have found people that are driving stolen vehicles, we find weapons, we find drugs, felons, and we've found several people who have warrants for their arrest,” she said. “It basically gives officers an opportunity to deal with a large number of people in a short amount of time. This is very valuable to the communities in which these checkpoints are held.”
The BAT vans are placed strategically throughout the state based on the number of statistics of impaired drivers.
Depue said although there are no BAT vans in place in central Missouri, local law enforcement agencies have access to a centrally located van at any time throughout the year.
The vans are manufactured in Linn at Osage Industries, an ambulance manufacturing specialty company which has been in business since 1983.
Impaired driver statistics from MoDOT's Highway Safety Division:
* In 2004, 4.7 percent of all traffic crashes in Missouri were drinking related. Of all fatal crashes, 21.9 percent were drinking related, which equates to a total of 252 fatalities and 5,450 injuries.
* In 2005, there was a decrease of 5.0 percent in the rate of change when comparing total 2005 drinking-related traffic crashes with those in 2004. However, there was an increase of 16.1 percent when comparing 2005 fatal drinking-related crashes with 2004.
* Of all drinking-related traffic crashes, more than 60 percent occur on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 7 p.m. at 2:59 a.m.
That equates to 270 deaths and 5,157 injuries.
Bill Whitfield, senior operations specialist with MoDOT's Highway Safety Division, said alcohol-related accidents, caused by an impaired driver, are the only accidents that are 100 percent preventable.
To remove impaired drivers from Missouri's highways, MoDOT with financial assistance from the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration, will have a total of 20 active breath alcohol testing (BAT) vans throughout the state by the end of this year. The program has been in operation since the late 1980s, providing law enforcement officials with the ability to conduct sobriety checkpoints and remove impaired drivers from Missouri's roadways.
Corp. Steven Tilley with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, the latest BAT van recipient, said without the BAT van, his department would not have the ability to remove the number of impaired drivers they take off of the road each year during monthly sobriety checks because the vans give officers an efficient way to catch impaired drivers.
“We would not have the manpower or the ability to catch these drivers and process them properly if we didn't have the vans,” he said. “They are very helpful and they add a lot to the ease of catching an impaired driver before an accident occurs, which in turn has helped save many lives and prevent a lot of accidents.”
Although they are an important tool for law enforcement, the vans carry a hefty price tag. On average, each BAT van costs about $120,000.
And, because funding isn't always available, this creates an issue for law enforcement, which is where MoDOT's Safety Division plays a significant role.
Leanna Depue, director of that department, said funding through the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration's grant program and MoDOT's grant program, gives them the ability to provide these valuable tools to law enforcement agencies.
“We see this as an additional tool that we provide to law enforcement to assist with their sobriety checkpoint program and we are happy that we are able to help provide the funding for these BAT vans,” Depue said.
“One of the key things about doing DWI enforcement is the time it takes an officer to arrest an impaired driver and take them to a location that has the certified instruments officers need. With the BAT vans, they have all of the equipment they need at their fingertips.”
Depue said having the breathalyzer units allow officers to process impaired drivers more efficiently and allows the officer to return to the line in turn giving them the ability to process more drivers during remote sobriety checkpoints.
“We do about 250 checkpoints in the state of Missouri each year,” Depue said. “If you look at the research, it tells us that even though we advertise and tell people we are going to have them, they don't know where they will be located. We are hoping that by conducting additional (sobriety) checkpoints, we are deterring people from choosing to drink and drive.”
Whitfield said the number of vehicles that go through a checkpoint varies from 200 to 800, as does the number of impaired drivers removed from highways.
Depue said during sobriety checkpoints, officers often find more than an impaired driver.
“Officers have found people that are driving stolen vehicles, we find weapons, we find drugs, felons, and we've found several people who have warrants for their arrest,” she said. “It basically gives officers an opportunity to deal with a large number of people in a short amount of time. This is very valuable to the communities in which these checkpoints are held.”
The BAT vans are placed strategically throughout the state based on the number of statistics of impaired drivers.
Depue said although there are no BAT vans in place in central Missouri, local law enforcement agencies have access to a centrally located van at any time throughout the year.
The vans are manufactured in Linn at Osage Industries, an ambulance manufacturing specialty company which has been in business since 1983.
Impaired driver statistics from MoDOT's Highway Safety Division:
* In 2004, 4.7 percent of all traffic crashes in Missouri were drinking related. Of all fatal crashes, 21.9 percent were drinking related, which equates to a total of 252 fatalities and 5,450 injuries.
* In 2005, there was a decrease of 5.0 percent in the rate of change when comparing total 2005 drinking-related traffic crashes with those in 2004. However, there was an increase of 16.1 percent when comparing 2005 fatal drinking-related crashes with 2004.
* Of all drinking-related traffic crashes, more than 60 percent occur on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 7 p.m. at 2:59 a.m.
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