Pilot Test of the New Roadside Methodology for Impaired Driving

Principal Investigator: John H. Lacey
Sponsor: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
(6/23/2004 - 12/30/2005)

Proposal Abstract
PIRE will develop and pilot test (1) the data sampling, (2) sample collection, and (3) analysis protocol for a roadside survey to determine the incidence of alcohol and other drug positive drivers in the nighttime driving population. This is being done in preparation for a national roadside survey to be conducted in 2006 under a separate procurement.

It is important to develop these procedures and pilot test data collection to determine the likely compliance rate in the full scale survey. In 1996 we were able to obtain breath tests from 96% of drivers. Our experience with saliva tests with pedestrians has yielded a slightly lower compliance rate. It is likely that requests for blood specimens may yield even more refusals, but since analyses of blood samples are the gold standard, it is important to test the feasibility of obtaining such samples.