Westford Police Awarded Grant To Reduce Impaired Driving

WESTFORD, MA —The State's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Office of Grants and Research awarded the Westford Police Department a grant to help it increase the number of impaired driving patrols during the holiday season.

Westford police will join other departments across the state and the state police in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign.

"Arrange for a ride home and make smart choices this holiday season," Westford police officials said in a statement.

Massachusetts Data:
• 35 percent of all drivers killed in a fatal crash from 2014 to 2018 were alcohol-impaired with a blood alcohol content over .08+
• 26 percent of drivers involved in a deadly crash from 2014 to 2018 had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher
• Marijuana was the most prevalent drug found in drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2013 and 2017, the most recent data available.
• 11 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes were found with both alcohol and drugs in their system.
• 78 percent of impaired drivers in fatal crashes were men, according to data between 2014 and 2018.
• Drivers under age 30 accounted for 72 percent of all alcohol-impaired drivers in a fatal crash from 2014-2018.
• From 2018 to 2019, alcohol-related fatalities dropped 10 percent from 122 to 110

National Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers. On average, more than 10,000 people have died each year (2014 to 2018) in drunk-driving crashes. To put it in perspective, that's equal to about 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors.
• In 2018, one person was killed every 50 minutes by a drunk driver on our nation's roads.
• In 2018, one in five children (14 and younger) killed in traffic crashes were killed in drunk-driving crashes.
• Drugs were present in 43 percent of the fatally-injured drivers with a known test result in 2015, more frequently than alcohol was present.
• NHTSA's 2013-2014 roadside survey found drugs in 22 percent of all drivers on weekend nights and on weekdays.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, or the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects-slows reaction times, impairs cognitive performance and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.
• Mixing alcohol and marijuana may dramatically produce effects greater than either drug on its own.