JACKSON, Wyo. — The Teton County Sheriff’s Office is the beneficiary of part of a $120,000 national grant to address impaired driving that was awarded to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
The grant, which is part of a national initiative to prevent impaired driving and make roadways safer, is administered through a partnership between the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Responsibility.org and the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving (NASID).
The Teton County Sheriff’s Office posted an announcement to its Facebook page on Thursday, July 24, saying that WYDOT will use the grant money to provide the Sheriff’s Office with new breathalyzers and training for all patrol deputies. The training seeks to ensure officers perform accurate and consistent roadside testing.
WYDOT also plans to use some of the funds to lead community education events and a media campaign to promote safe driving behavior, raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving and support cultural change, per the announcement.
“This grant will help us strengthen DUI enforcement and continue our mission to keep Teton County’s roads safe for everyone who lives, works and visits here,” reads the post from the Sheriff’s Office.
The official press release from GHSA states that the organizations have “teamed up to once again fund state efforts to combat alcohol, cannabis and multiple-substance impaired driving,” putting an emphasis on the “societal disconnect” regarding cannabis-impaired driving. According to the release, in a study of trauma centers between 2019 and 2021, more than half (56%) of people injured or killed in crashes on U.S. roads tested positive for alcohol and/or other drugs, with cannabis being more likely (25%) than alcohol (23%).
The grant will be split between four states for various initiatives. Last year, the grant was shared between three states, which included Colorado and Idaho.
