According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 31,785 people were killed in traffic crashes during the first nine months of 2022. While this is down from the same period in 2021, the decrease is only 0.2 percent.

Further, in a three-month period in 2020, 56 percent of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes tested positive for at least one drug. The legal and social acceptance of cannabis by many states is further contributing to the increase of drug-impaired driving cases. The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program, coordinated by the IACP with support from NHTSA, is designated to reduce the number of impaired drivers on roadways. The DEC trains officers as drug recognition experts (DREs) to recognize drug impairment, use standardized testing, and present evidence of drug impairment while testifying.