Pennsylvania Participates in National DUI Crackdown

Police throughout Pennsylvania are taking part in a national initiative focused on the aggressive enforcement of driving under the influence (DUI) laws. The national campaign is called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” and the Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association announced that state police would officially be participating.

There are more than 50 DUI task force groups throughout Pennsylvania, and all of them will be involved in patrolling and enforcing DUI laws either as roving patrols or at stationary checkpoints. Officers are paying special attention to drivers who appear to be under the influence of drugs, whether they are illegal controlled substances or over-the-counter or prescription medications.

A growing focus on drugged driving

Pennsylvania first began applying DUI laws to substances other than alcohol about 10 years ago when it, along with a number of other states, began training drug recognition experts in an attempt to curb the ever-growing problem of people driving under the influence of drugs. The expanded focus was due to the belief that although most people realized the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol, many others failed to understand that even some over-the-counter medications could cause drivers to be dangerously impaired.

There are now approximately 150 trained drug recognition experts (DRE) in Pennsylvania at the state and local levels. Only active police officers are eligible to become DREs. There were 4,694 incidents of drugged (legal and illegal) driving accidents in Pennsylvania in 2014, with 52,646 people arrested on suspicion of DUI that same year. The most frequent drug identified by DREs is marijuana.

For more information on this DUI crackdown, contact skilled Reading criminal defense attorney David R. Eshelman.