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Community DC Kurt Erickson WRAP · Community D.C.

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: I'm your host Dennis Plascow. This morning, we welcome back
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: to the program Kurt Ericson. He is the president for
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: the Washington Regional Alcohol Program also known as RAP, to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: educate us on the latest impairment and driving initiatives in
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: the DMV. Plus, we'll plow through all the latest data,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: DUI checkpoints, education for both adults and youth, programs, events,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: and much much more. Plus plus, we will talk about
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: one of their most prized programs in sober Ride, and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: how you can use it during one of the upcoming holidays.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Here's my conversation with Kurt. I hope you enjoy it
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: as much as I did. Good morning, Kurt, Good morning Dennis.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Happy summer. Yeah, happy summer, and it's great to have
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: you board. It's been a while and I did a
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: little explanation of my intro about RAP. But if you
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: could do me a favorite, because I know we've had
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: you on many times in this program and you're always
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: so generous with your time. But for the listeners it
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: might be new to RAP or have heard of it.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Tell us what it stands for, but also can you
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: tell us a history about it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So, first of all, RAP WRIP stands for the
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Washington Regional Alcohol Program, which is a nonprofit organization forums
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: in nineteen eighty two to fight drunk driving and underage drinking,
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: specifically in the Washington metropolitan area. We do that through
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: public education, innovative health education programs, and advocacy.
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: But I think we're probably best.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Known the program that you and I have talked about
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: for years now, which is a free, safe right service
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: to try to prevent drunk driving called sober Ride, of
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: which the nonprofit RAP conducts six times a year.
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  Speaker 3: Will next be doing it on July fourth, and I
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: know we'll be.
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  Speaker 2: Talking about that, but it's something that over one hundred
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: and three thousand people have taken advantage of since we
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  Speaker 2: first started offering the program back in nineteen ninety one.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Unstanding, Well, we're going to talk about sober Ride and
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: so much more general assembly. I know you've been busy
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: with a couple of those when it comes to the
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: neighboring states and the counties and all of what's going
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: on there, because I know you're always busy when it
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: comes to the latest initiatives with police forces that you
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: work with and everything, But I did want to talk
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: to you about something that kind of affects the summer months,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: and this is featured on your website. Summer months usher
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: in deadliest period for teen drivers. Tell us why that
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: is in just a little bit more about it.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the summer months specifically, if you look at
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: the latest NITSA data NDS of the National Highway Traffic
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Safety Administration, if you look at their data for the
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: latest period, which is twenty twenty four, that the period
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: between June and September, so inclusive of June, July, August
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: and September, those four months is that contiguous period when
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: the greatest number of US Team Traffic dasafer, which perhaps
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: won't surprise anyone in the fact that you know that
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: you have this unstructured time that can really mean some
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: dangerous situations of teens behind the wheel.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: One of the things that.
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  Speaker 2: We've done, god for about at least twenty five years
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  Speaker 2: now is to empower parents to try to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that they can address this reality.
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  Speaker 3: And you know the fact that you.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Know, parents play an integral role when and if their
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: children drink alcohol. What we try to do is to
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  Speaker 2: give tips to reinforce their efforts to foster the healthy
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: and a safe summer for them and their teenage children.
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  Speaker 2: And by the way, those are on a wrap's website
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  Speaker 2: which is WRP Wrapped Out Org and we can talk
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  Speaker 2: about them specifically.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: You know, you make a good point, and we've talked
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: about this, and a lot of things start at home
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: when it comes to having conversations with your kids, Kurt,
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  Speaker 1: I also want to know about initiatives when it comes
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: to schools. I don't know the current relationship that you have,
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  Speaker 1: but if you get an opportunity to go into middle
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  Speaker 1: schools or high schools and even colleges, what opportunity do
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  Speaker 1: you have and what is the message that you are
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: able to you know, throw out there to everybody.
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  Speaker 2: That's a great question because that's something that we probably
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  Speaker 2: don't get a lot of attention for it, but it's
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  Speaker 2: probably where we have our biggest reach in terms of numbers.
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  Speaker 2: In fact, we've already reached nine thousand students just this
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  Speaker 2: fiscal year, which started on October first. We've long done
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: a school based programming called Alcohol Awareness for Students, which
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: is a multimedia outreach program where we use and interact
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: to PowerPoint presentation, video and fatal vision goggles.
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  Speaker 3: These are the goggles that you'll.
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  Speaker 2: Often see persons aware that simulate at least what it's
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: like to be impaired visually by alcohol or including other drugs.
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  Speaker 3: There's ones that are for cannabis.
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  Speaker 2: As well, and it educates teenagers and young adults about
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: the dangers and consequences of underreach drinking and in fair driving,
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: as well as the importance of making healthy or safe
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: and healthy decisions. We do the specific mannering high schools
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: so throughout the DC metro area. So we define that
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  Speaker 2: as Montgomery County, Prince George County in Maryland, the entire
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: district of Columbia, and then Arlington, faircrus Lot, and Prince William.
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  Speaker 3: It's a free program.
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  Speaker 2: It's about forty five minutes in length, but again it's
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: probably where we have our biggest impact in terms of
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: the numbers of persons directly reached.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: One of the things I want to chat with you
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  Speaker 1: about today is data. And I don't know what latest
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: research you have, but I know it's always important to
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: take a look at that because that allows you to
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: make your moves with the different police departments and how
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: you advocate and all the things that you do with
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  Speaker 1: your team there, Kurt. But when it comes to data
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: in the DMV or at least the regions that you cover,
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  Speaker 1: what kind of numbers are we looking at for drinking
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  Speaker 1: and driving the people are doing it. I don't know
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  Speaker 1: if you have conviction rates or at least people that
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: have been arrested for but just maybe data. Because the
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: reason why I ask you this is that every time
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: I do ask you about numbers, it's still pretty shocking
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: how many people drink and drive. And we're also going
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: to talk about when it comes to driving into the
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: influence that includes prescription drugs in marijuana. I don't want
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: to get to that yet because that's an important part
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  Speaker 1: of this. But what kind of data are we care
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: looking at either in twenty twenty five or in early
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So for the last thirty plus years, the nonprofit
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: WRAP is teamed up with the Metropolitan and Washington Council
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: of Governments to annually publish a periodical called how Safe
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: Are Our Roads, which is looking at drunk driving trends as.
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: An aggregate for the greater Washington area as a whole.
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  Speaker 2: Right, I mean, just what's happening in Prince William County,
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  Speaker 2: or what's happening in Prince George County.
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  Speaker 3: How are we as one big region.
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  Speaker 2: Doing in terms of these one hundred percent preventable incidents?
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  Speaker 2: And the twenty twenty four last year's report hit twenty
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: twenty four.
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  Speaker 3: Data, and there were some, indeed, some good news in it.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: And this is after following two years of drug driving
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: depths of going upward in this region. They actually went
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: down in twenty twenty four, and significantly so twenty six
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  Speaker 2: percent drop in drunk driving fatalities in the Washington metropolitan area.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: Unfortunately, it was all.
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  Speaker 2: Set by the fact that while drunk driving fatalities were down,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: drug driving injuries were creeping upward. They were creeping up
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: by three point seven percent. Drunk driving crashes were creeping
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: up by two percent. And as you mentioned, the staff
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: that always gets me. I agree with you and trust me,
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  Speaker 2: I've been doing this job for twenty years, but when
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: I see this number, it is just so daunting and
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: so disappointing to me. Is the fact that we also
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: track the number of local DUI r us and for
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty four, again just in the Greater Washington area,
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  Speaker 2: there was eight seven and ten persons arrested for.
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  Speaker 3: DUI just in the year twenty twenty four.
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  Speaker 2: This is the third year that these numbers have actually
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: gotten down.
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  Speaker 3: And trust me, there's not less people drunking and driving
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  Speaker 3: out there.
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  Speaker 2: There are less people getting caught or there's less law
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  Speaker 2: enforcement looking for them.
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  Speaker 3: But this rate, this decline of.
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  Speaker 2: The number of drug driving RUSS is actually the lowest
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  Speaker 2: since at least twenty seventeen.
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  Speaker 3: So again, I'd like to.
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  Speaker 2: Think that more people are utilizing public transportation and using
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: sober eye and planning a safe right home, and I
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  Speaker 2: do think that's having an impact.
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  Speaker 3: But the fact of the matter is.
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  Speaker 2: When you still are annually arresting almost nine thousand persons
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  Speaker 2: just in the Greater Washington area, it's just enough to take.
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  Speaker 1: Your breath away, it sure is, and it is sobering
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  Speaker 1: to hear those stats. And I was kind of thinking
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  Speaker 1: about this without any hyperbole in giving you any specifics,
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  Speaker 1: I guess the one thing with ride shares and sober
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  Speaker 1: Right and everything else, and I'm getting the feeling, you know,
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  Speaker 1: my daughter's twenty four right now, but she drove and
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  Speaker 1: drove a lot, But it seems like I'm talking to
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  Speaker 1: a lot of parents where kids aren't driving as much
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  Speaker 1: and they are taking share rights, and hopefully if they
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  Speaker 1: are drinking and driving, that their parents are setting up
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  Speaker 1: with a sober right or getting a ride from a
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  Speaker 1: parent or a friend who is not drinking and driving
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  Speaker 1: on the influence. But it appears to me, at least
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  Speaker 1: I'm hearing from people that kids aren't driving as much,
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  Speaker 1: which obviously could help the figures a little bit.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: No, And I think that it's like changing anything like
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  Speaker 2: an a fleet vehicle, like if you put analog brakes
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  Speaker 2: or you put some safety device, you got to get
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  Speaker 2: rid of the vehicles.
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  Speaker 3: That are on the road.
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  Speaker 2: Now, it's going to be a slow implementation. I think
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  Speaker 2: it's the same thing for behavioral changes of this type
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  Speaker 2: of thing. And I think you're one hundred percent right
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  Speaker 2: that newer generation. I came in mind that right shair.
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  Speaker 2: We didn't connect to our sober right program to right
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  Speaker 2: share till twenty seventeen, and at twenty seventeen it wasn't equally.
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  Speaker 3: Legal in DC, Maryland, Virgil. So it's less than a
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  Speaker 3: decade old at least in this market.
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  Speaker 2: And so I think that you are having, therefore a
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  Speaker 2: generation that's growing up as if it's ubiquitous as a
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: cell phone, and so it's commonplace for them to use
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: right share to get from point A to point B.
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  Speaker 3: It's the little bit of an older generation that you know.
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  Speaker 2: Anybody that's fighting wrong driving is all looking at the
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  Speaker 2: same target audience. It's twenty one to thirty five year olds.
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  Speaker 2: It's a twenty one to thirty five year old mail drivers.
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  Speaker 2: And anybody thinks that I am being sexist, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: good lord, it it's still a male dominated from two
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: thirds of those arrested for drunk driving at least in
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: Virginia are male drivers. But again it's that young risk
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: taker twenty one to thirty five year olds.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: So again you're right, the younger generation's getting used to it.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: They're utilizing right sharing more and at the end of
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: the day, that's what's going to win about it that
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: they simply separate the car from the person that's drinking.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: We will elect this problem. It's streameful that it's taken
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: so long.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's well said. Created. It's one more thing about data.
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  Speaker 1: And once again, I don't know what the latest is
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: that you have, but you had mentioned all the arrests
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: with du wise and driving under the influence. What about fatalities,
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: What were the latest data that you had on that.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: I'm sure it's probably shocking.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so they've actually again they went down twenty six percent,
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: and that's great in twenty twenty four, but you still
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: what that still meant is that you still had seventy
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: four one hundred percent preventable deaths that happened on Greater
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Washington roadways. So mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, co workers, neighbors,
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  Speaker 2: friends that lost their life in these one hundred percent
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: preventable incidents until we get down to zero, which is
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: the whole movement of you know, a Vision zero movement,
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: whether you have that in the District of Columbia or
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Montgomery County or in Arlington County, each of which have
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: their own Vision zero programs, you know, we will not
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: consider this program yet. Being one, I will tell you
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: one other bit of salas that was in the report though,
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: which is that nationally, thirty percent of all traffic deaths
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: in this country still involved drum drivers, and I think
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: that's a starting number.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: But one bit of.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Solace that the DC area can have is that while
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: thirty percent of drunk driving or thirty percent of national
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: fatals involve drunk drivers. That figures twenty three percent in
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: the Greater Washing area. So in a positive way, we're
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: below the national leverage. And I attribute that to, you know,
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: a high knowledge about this issue, high level of alternatives,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: whether it be right share, taxicabs, but also public transportation,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: and it wouldn't shy away from throwing.
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: A civil rights impact anytime.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: I think when you've removed one hundred thousand would be
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: drunk drivers off of very roadways, I'd like to think
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: that that has some type of contributing factor here.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I would agree with that, And I guess it's
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: good news, you know, because we if you drive it
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: the DMV, I mean it's clogged all the time, day
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: and night. I mean there's a lot of traffic out there.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: So I guess I'm encouraged about that. I've also had
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: the good fortune with you and your relationship with all
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: the different police forces that you work with, and you
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: can talk about some of the relationship because they're wonderful
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: that you've cultivated over the last couple of decades and
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: what they do for rap and what you do for them,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: and what they're doing right now and One of the
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: things that was brought to light to me a couple
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: of years ago when you started introduce some of the
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: officers that you work with, is about driving under the
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: influence when it comes to prescription drugs and also marijuana. Now,
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: there aren't the best test yet for marijuana and curry.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: You can update me on the latest and greatest of
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: the police forces are working on for that. But this
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: is something that is out there, folks, and it's happening
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: in if you're high, whether it's prescription drugs or whether
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: it's marijuana or anything under the influence, that is driving
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: under the influence. Kirk, can you talk a little bit
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: more and expound on that.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: Well, first of all, it's everything that can be impairing.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: So it is certainly alcohol, it is certainly cannabis, It
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: is certainly prescription drugs, it is certainly illicit drugs.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: And the fact of the matter is is that, you
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: know what, I don't care what.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: Anybody says, marijuana use is impairing, plain and simple. That driving, uh,
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: you know, while impaired is unsafe and illegal in all states.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: So while you have this, you know, anecdotal you know
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: commentary that some people think, oh, I'm a better driver
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: when I'm under the influence of roundwater because I drive slower,
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: and so forth. Driving under the influence of marijuana is
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: dangerous for all drivers, as teams especially are vulnerable because
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: of their limited driving experience.
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: So when we start here, and you know the use
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: of cannabis, and by the way, there's not a state that.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: What's what's the staff that I've heard recently is the
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: fact that that the majority of states that are for
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: the past some form of recreational marijuana use having.
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: The deed scene and uptick in terms of traffic crashes.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: That makes sense.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: Ye, well yeah, and and and what's happening in DC,
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: Maryland and Virginia is that in all three of those
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: localities we are not only not only do you have
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: recreational use approved, but we are starting seeing this come
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: up in the chemical testing for this and it's largely
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: poly users. It's rare that it's just a cannabis user.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: It's more of that the person that was somehow ingesting
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: either by smoking or by edibles cannabis, was also drinking.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: And then you still have star Wars drugs that are
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: out there.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: That just shocked me until recently the use of PCPs
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: as a factor in impaired driving cases was over twenty
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: percent in the District of Columbia.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: I think only recently in the last year that that
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: went down.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: But you can thinking about that one out of five,
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: but the person's tested for repair driving in the District
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: of Columbia tested positive for PCP So no, it's an
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: absolute challenge. I think one of the insurances too, Findway Safety,
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: I think did the best study. I think it was
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one. That's just set flat out. Crash rates
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: go up when states legalize the recreational use and retail
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: sales of marijuana, and that's where we are in DC, Maryland, Virginia.
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: So that's a new job, and you're right.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: The testing apparatus and the protocols for that. It's one
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: of the reasons that you have Virginia right now that's
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: actively looking at the conducting of oral fluid tests because
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: they can give a more realistic and real time testing
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: of somebody's cannabis use and how was at a level
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: that would be impairing. This is usually done through ledge
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: slative means, but they're starting to look at that and
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: seeing whether that could be implemented on an administrative basis,
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: at least in that commonwealth.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: So kur when you talk to the different police forces
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: out there, and to be very clear to give context
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: to people, I think everybody's aware that if you are
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: pulled over at a check stop and you're asked to
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: get out of your car, there could be a physical
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: test and then they could ask you to blow into
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: their machine. Of some people deny that. I don't want
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: to get into the logistics. So that's basically what happens
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: when it comes to drinking and driving. When it comes
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: to the marijuana or the cannabis test, will it be
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: a physical test that will be done on site or
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: will they'd have to go to the police station if
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: they suspect that they're in the influence of cannabis or
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: a person description drug.
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so a.
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: State is different. But the fact of the matter is
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: they're not going to pick up that on a bread test.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: So the bread test that they do by the side
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: of the road or what's a preliminary bread test or
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: stationary bread tests that they'll do at the station, that
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: won't pick that up.
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: It'll be done through a panel.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: So whether it be through a urine test, a blood
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: draw things of that sort, and that's why you have
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: the or a fluid test is going to be something
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: that's really going to be invaluable here and so forth.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: But all three of the localities have brought recognition experts
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: commonly abbreviated drees that are able to look at other behaviors,
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: outward symptoms, and so forth to be able to determine
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: the likely drug being used. And that's actually admissible in
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: a court of law. But the fact of the matter
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: is that what you have said, the sorority checkpoints, you know,
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: we shouldn't undervalue those. Those are really some of the
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: best tools that law enforcement have to identify and apprehend
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: drun drugs.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: And that's not my opinion.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: Insurance Instant studying the efficacy of sobriety checkpoints and found
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: out that if they're done well, they can reduce drug
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: driving fatalities by as much as twenty percent. And all
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: three of the localities, DC and Maryland, Virginia always use them,
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: some more often than not. Favorite county I think at
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: least does one or two checkpoints a month.
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: I think a lot of the county is very similar.
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: The District of Columbia has evolved to not sobriety checkpoints
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: as much as traffic checkpoints, which can be the same thing.
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: And so if anybody's suspected for being impaired, they can
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: be pulled over and go through a battery of task,
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: the standard field sobriety test that you had mentioned.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: Kurb before we get to some of the work that's
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: been happening in general assemblies lately, and I know that
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: you want to talk about what has been happening one
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: more thing about the cannabis, prescription drugs and illsted drugs.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: When it comes to the possible testing and that equipment,
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: whether it's done at the station, whatever it's done, as
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: you talk to police forces and politics aside, are they
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: welcoming this or do they know that it could be
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: a challenge because of the technology jam where we're at today.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: Oh no, that's a great question and they welcome in.
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: Here's the reason why that if you you know, if
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: you pull somebody over there, they're clearly showing signs of
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: impairment in terms of how they're driving. There's probable cause
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: involved while they've been weaving and so forth, and you
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: pull them over, you put them through a standard field
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: sobriety test.
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: Either they're they're failing that.
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: But you do a bread test, which is the ultimate barometer,
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: and it shows up zero, you know something's impairing them,
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: but you can't prove that it's something other than alcohol
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: on the equipment that they currently have.
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: And so to have some type.
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: Of indytia that says, indeed, this person was impaired by
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: this drug, this person was impaired by this drug is
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: exceedingly helpful, and it's fostrating to law enforcement that the
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: barriers to that are either technological or they're financial. Where
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: you know you can do a if you do a
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: blood draw, usually law enforcement the lab will stop if
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: they find alcohol, they'll stop, but they're not looking at well,
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: what else in addition now all or that the panel
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: that they're looking for perhaps doesn't have PCP, as we mentioned,
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: it may have a number of other drugs, but that's
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: not one of them.
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: So no, the more information the better.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: If you could do me a favor about this and
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: indulge me. And you know, I'm old enough to remember
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: a show called Scared Straight and basically they give you
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: some context to it. It was young people that were
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: in trouble got thrown into a prison and we're talking
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: with inmates and they scared the living hell of them
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: knowing what life from prison could be.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: Like.
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: What I want to do here with you, and why
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: I'm talking about that is that I think we should
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: remind everybody who's listening, and it doesn't matter what age
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: or what background you come from if you get arrested
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: for a duhy, what happens to people specifically?
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: First of all, should we should acknowledge your shout out
• 19:42
  Speaker 3: to Broadway Prison?
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, you remember, yeah you remember, Yeah.
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: That was but yeah, so you're right that it's worthy
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: of reminding people of what the penalties are for duy
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: and they vary in terms of DC Ryland Virginia, but
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: they are utiful only tough.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: So even a first time DUI in this region will.
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: Cost you up to twenty five hundred dollars, up to
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: a year in jail and having your license taken away
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: per year, and again it doesn't matter.
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: Whether it's your first or your thirty first offense.
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: In addition, all three of the localities have something that
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: you and I have talked about in the past, which
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: is that if you do get convicted of drunk driving
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: in the district of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, you're going
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: to have to install on your vehicle these InCAR breathalyzer
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: devices otherwise known as ignition or lots that will prevent
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: you or from anybody operating your vehicle if it senses
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: that the driver's been drinking, and so the penant like
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: these are top penalties. In addition, at least in Virginia,
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: there was an evaluation of the cost of a DUI
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: when you start throwing in other things like warrior costs,
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: getting your car towed, insurance rate, increases, bail and so forth.
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: They estimated, at least in that locality that a first
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: time DUI will cost anywhere between five and twenty thousand dollars.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: I know very few people that don't consider that a
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: significant financial hit. And so when you have alternatives in
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: terms of, you know, planning a safe I home, designating
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: a sober driver, public transportation, taxicabs, right shairs, and also
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: sober right during the six times that it's available, you know,
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: just exercise your rights, plan have your excess strategy before
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: your evening actually starts.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's well said between the data that you talked
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: about in that nightmare that happening. It should encourage all
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: people not to drink and drive whatsoever and be under
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: the influence. I did mention about advocation. I know you're
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: constantly doing it, whether you're on the move or other
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: people are talking about it. There were some general assemblies
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: that handle some things. Can you update us on the
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: latest that you know?
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the last one that ended, well, the most
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: recent one session that it was in Maryland, and I'd
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: like to think we got, you know, some good news
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: that came out of the session, but there actually is
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: very little good news that came out of that session.
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: And just for the fact that most of the advocates.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: Whether it be WRAP or MAD Triple A and others,
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: we're championing a number of bills that simply didn't get
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: There was no appetite for this year in Annapolis, which
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: is unfortunate because they've been introduced in the past, so
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: they weren't new fite.
• 22:12
  Speaker 3: New laws or new bills that were introduced this year.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: What is a bill that would have increased the penalties
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: or increased the maximum jail time for persons convicted to
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: be their vehicular manslaughter, including for those convicted of such
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: and having been previously convicted of a number of crimes,
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: including driving under the influence or driving while impaired by
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: alcohol or other controlled substances.
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: As we were just talking about, this is really it conforts.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: With the states attorneys and that state have led this
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: s effort.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: They've bemoan the fact that.
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: The sentencing guidelines currently in the state, especially for first defenders,
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: being that the involuntary manslaughter is been considered a violent crime,
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: that people are often sentenced to probation to two years,
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: and because they're not violent crimes, persons are eligible for
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: parole up to just one quarter of their sentence. And
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: both of those bills there was a House version and
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: Center version they went nowhere to share.
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: Again, there wasn't an appetite.
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: There was also a bill that was introduced in Annapolis
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: that would have mandated testing for all drivers involved in
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: serious crashes, ones that were either fatal or resulted in
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: a series injury, and those bills went nowhere. And the
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: problem with that is the fact that the National Highway
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: Traffic Safety Administration has looked at Maryland as having the
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: third highest percentage eighty seven percent of surviving drivers not
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: tested in fatal crashes. And this would have given us
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: much more data to find out what the cause of
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: some of these crashes are. But again, there was little
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: appetite there in Virginia. It's a much more complicated session,
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: at least in that state, and the fact that we
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: went in there with a number of hopes and it
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: changed quickly in the fact that what ended up making
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: the session good was bills that were beaten back or
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: otherwise defeated. One of the bills we knew about was
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: a bill that looked at reducing the penalties basically gutting
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: the penalties for underage drinking and substituting current fines and
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: driver's license sanctions and community service with written warnings. And
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: I'm not you can see using quotation marks here. They
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: were literally written warnings just going to the offender. And
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: so we were able to work with the legislator on
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: that and get that bill at least stopped for this year,
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: but I know it's going to come back up next year.
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: And the last bill I'll mentioned in.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: Virginia because I got a lot of attention the governor
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: and her first round of vetos. There was only eight vetos.
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: This new governor in Virginia, Abigail Spamberger, and we were
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: proud to have one of those vetos. We meaning the
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: groups including Wrap Mad Responsibility dot org all followed the
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: lead of the Virginia Association and Commonwealth Attorneys in opposing
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: legislation that sought to allow Virginia judges, despite prostutorial objection,
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: to reduce or dismiss drunk driving chargers even if after
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: guilt had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and even
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: in cases involving repeat drunk drivers.
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: So this boxed out.
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: There is the legislation that looked to box out the prosecutors,
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: and that states the Comewealth Attorney.
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: Don't anybody think.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: This is a crazy idea of the fact of the
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: matter is that it passed the House on a thirty
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: seven to two vote. I mean, this was a popular
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: legislation as it came out of that chamber, got all
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: the way to the Governor's desk, and we were delighted
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: that she had the right sense. In fact, she cited
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: the impact to dui issues, specifically that in serving her
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: veto do. I think that bill will come back up probably,
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: but the fact of the matter is that was.
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: A really problematic bill and it cannot be more proud
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: that we were able to get a veto out of it.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: Good stuff. Thanks for the update.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: Court.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: Well, listen, we just have a few minutes left. You
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: did mention sober right off the top of our conversation.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: For the people who haven't used it before, maybe don't
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: know how to use it, and there's a holiday coming up,
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: or there's a party or anything that they say, you
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: know what, it might be a good idea that I
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: do this. How do they do occur?
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: So it's really easy.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: So sob Ride is a free, safe fright service that
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: the nonprofit WRAP has done since nineteen ninety one. Like
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: I said, one hundred thousand people have utilizer Roman Driving
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: Home and Pair. We offer it on six different holidays
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: throughout the year in the chronological order, at Super Bowl,
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: Saint Patrick' Day, Cinco de Mayo, which we just obviously
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: did in May and of which almost nine hundred people
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: took advantage of it, Ryman Driving Home and Pair.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: But then we do it on Independence.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: Day, Halloween, and the weeks leading up to and including
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: New Yer's Eve. The next one we'll be offering is
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: on July fourth, So on July fourth at four pm
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: until four am and July fifth. Anybody that's celebrating in
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: the Penni's Day and the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: of this country and they're in the DC area can
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: go to sober ride dot com.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: It's sl b e r r id dot.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: Com and on July fourth, at three pm, will publish
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: a code. You simply need to download that code, put
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: it into your lift app l Yft, that's our ride
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: share partner, and we'll pay up to a fifteen dollars
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: fare to get people home. The average fare for sobriet
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: is less than fifteen dollars, so it really does take
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: the majority of people home. But even if your fair
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: is twenty, we'll still pay for the first fifteen. But
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: this is important having this flight. People don't think about
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: July fourth as being, you know, in the annals of
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: drunk driving holidays, but it's actually one of those times
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: of the year. We're nearly forty percent of all traffic
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: deaths involved drunk drivers.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: So you know, as much as you.
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: Know all the things we talked about, our prevention efforts,
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: law enforcement efforts, all the things that we do year round,
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: you still need to have these you know, these safety
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: valves and this high risk highend alcohol consumption periods and
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: independence days one of them, so again July fourth, from
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: four pm until four am, and July fifth, sober ride
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: dot com will put the code up there the day
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: before and people can download it and be afforded a
• 28:04
  Speaker 2: safe and a sober way.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: All right, we got about ninety seconds left, Courd. Let's
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: give the website to everybody and all the information and
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: did some final thoughts from you.
• 28:11
  Speaker 3: So well, everything that we mentioned, by the way is free.
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: So sober Right is free, Our programs and area schools
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: workplaces is free.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: If people want to find out more.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: About the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program otherwise abbreviated as
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: a wrap it's really easy. It's wrapped out orgs at
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: w r AP org and you can find out more
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: about this local and life saving effort and help us
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: and join in our effort. And if you want to
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: find out more just about the Sober Right program, that's
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: just as easy. It's sober Ride so O b E
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: r RD dot com and you can find out more
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: about this program and at six times then we offer
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: it throughout the year, and to find out more about
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: what's going to be in place, for July fourth.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: And also there is some mix for stuff on there
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: on the website when it comes to programs for youth
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: and adults, when it comes to the outreach, and also
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: the alcohol and awarenes US with students and advocation and
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: also public education with everything else that Kurt has mentioned,
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: and of course all the latest news that ta He
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: and his team are working on constantly. It's always updated,
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: it's always great information.
• 29:10
  Speaker 3: Kurt.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: We always appreciate your valuable time. Thank you so much,
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: and let's talk real soon.
• 29:14
  Speaker 3: Thanks for having us.
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