Since the passage of HB3146 (the Impaired Driving Elimination Act, or IDEA Act) last year, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office have been working to fulfill a legislative mandate to improve statewide data collection and standardization of impaired driving reporting.
As of March 1, testing of the system has begun. Later in the month, DPS will begin the task of enrolling all statewide law enforcement agencies, who will have immediate access to the system.
The IDEA Act:
- Creates a way for law enforcement officers to see, nearly in real time, the location of all impaired driving offenses and the location where the last drink was consumed, when known.
- Provides law enforcement officers with a searchable database to identify previous arrests and whether those arrests were related to impairment by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both.
- Creates a standardized impaired driving arrest report for all law enforcement officers to utilize and to provide to prosecutors.
DPS Commissioner Michael C. Thompson said, “The IDEA Act is a game changer for public safety in Oklahoma. For years, law enforcement officers and the courts have been plagued by the inability to accurately track impaired and drunk drivers in Oklahoma. The IDEA Act levels the playing field with law enforcement and drunk drivers, and enables accountability. I sincerely appreciate the authors of the legislation, Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg Treat and House Majority Leader Mike Sanders, for their perseverance in making this concept a reality. Oklahoma will be safer because of the IDEA Act.”
House Majority Leader Sanders said, “It is common knowledge to everyone that impaired driving is deeply personal to me and my family. I am more than happy to assist law enforcement in their efforts to eradicate impaired driving in Oklahoma. If we continue to work together we can all help make Oklahoma a safer place for our families.”
Majority Floor Leader Treat added, “Giving law enforcement the ability to fight against impaired driving and holding drivers accountable for their actions is critical to keeping our families safe. Thank you to the Department of Public Safety for their diligent work to implement this measure.”
OHP Capt. Ronnie Hampton said, “The goal is to provide every law enforcement officer with a modern database to search and enter impaired driving arrests. This information will allow countermeasures to identify areas where impaired driving poses the greatest risk, and to help prevent overserving of alcoholic beverages.”
