Missoula County DUI Task Force
- About us
- Upcoming meetings
- Our goals
- Required alcohol server training - new state law, effective Sept. 30, 2011
- Missoula County DUI Plan - for FY 2012
- DUI Task Force Newsletter - Winter 2012
- Programs,
activities and projects
- Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service Training
- Designated Driver program
- Plan2Live Montana - download a blood alcohol chart
- Quick facts
- Marijuana and driving
- Teen drivers
- Safe driving and DUI
- Two news stories regarding increasing the alcohol tax - April 2010
- Child Passenger Safety - child seat check-ups and trainings; correct use
- Other resources
- Contact information
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About us |
Established in 1986, the Missoula County DUI Task Force represents a diverse cross section of the community that includes citizens, government officials, law enforcement, business, health professionals, prevention and treatment specialists approved by the Missoula County Commissioners. Missoula DUI Task Force Members
Our mission is to promote a healthier and safer environment for county residents by reducing the number of alcohol related traffic crashes through public education, awareness, legislation and enforcement strategies.
Our Task Force is funded by driver license reinstatement fees. We have no particular political agenda so are free to address what is most relevant to our county and to support innovative projects that prevent DUI.
We are one of 34 state-approved DUI task forces representing 38 counties, and 3 tribal task forces. Montana Counties with a DUI Task Force
Missoula County DUI Plan - for FY 2012
| DUI Task Force Coordinator: | Lonie Hutchison |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 406-258-3880 |
| Fax: | 406-258-3992 |
| Email: | lhutchison@co.missoula.mt.us |
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Upcoming meetings |
Public Information & Education Committee meeting:
May 10, Noon - 2pm
at the Red Willow Learning Center, 825 W. Kent
(behind the Women's Club, north of Missoula Indian Center and northeast
of the Stephens Shopping Center.
DUI Task Force meeting and work session:
to review and approve the SFY2013 DUI Task Force
Plan and Budget.
May 31, Noon - 2 pm,
Location to be announced
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Our goals |
- Keep our roads safe
- Prevent impaired driving
- Reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes
- Educate the public on the dangers of driving after consuming alcoholic beverages or other chemical substances that impair judgment and motor function
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New State Law |
In an effort to reduce the negative impacts of impaired driving, the 2011 Montana legislature passed the Mandatory Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service Training Act. It mandates that all places that sell alcoholic beverages train their servers and sales staff to recognize intoxicated or under-age patrons:
- The training program must be state approved.
- All employees must be trained within 60 days of hire.
- All employees must have their training updated every 3 years.
- Licensees must maintain records verifying employee training.
Training must be completed by Jan. 1, 2012.
To find a trainer or a class with openings, contact the Mt. Dept of Revenue, or call 1-800-332-6135, option 7.
Dept. of Revenue Statement regarding the new law.
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Next "Let's Control It" classes
in Missoula
Usually on 2 different Tuesday evenings each month
at City Fire Station 4 @ 3011 Latimer Street Cost - $10 per person Pre-registration required. On-site trainings are also available upon request. |
Missoulian article about alcohol server training - appeared Oct. 16, 2011
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Programs, activities and projects |
- Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service Training (RASS)
- programs conducted in Missoula to educate servers and sales clerks on
preventing over-service and sales or service to minors.
(64 of Missoula's 271 licensed establishments send employees to
training.)
"Let's Control It" classes sponsored by the MT Dept of Revenue, are held in Missoula. Contact Lonie Hutchison at 258-3880 for dates and locations.
TIPS - Training for Intervention Procedures - Alcohol sales compliance checks of establishments
- Party and kegger patrols
- Overtime traffic patrols
- Educational projects
- Public service announcements
- Support for prosecution and adjudication of DUI cases
- Victims impact panels
- Policy and legislative proposals
- Designated Driver program - 17 participating establishments in Missoula
- Safe Ride Home program - 48 participating establishments in Missoula
- Gathering and disseminating DUI-related statistical information
- Equipment purchases for Law Enforcement
- Demonstrations of Fatal Vision goggles
- DUI Court Tracking Project for calendar year 2010
- List of establishments that support responsible alcohol service
- Montana DUI Research Project Report 2011
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Designated Driver Program |
Some bars will provide free soft drinks to 1 patron of a group if that person promises to stay sober, and drive their friends home.
Participating bars - Missoula, 2011
Invitation to bars to join the Designated Driver program
TIPS alcohol training for restaurants
Local training is available through the Montana Restaurant Association:
- Servsafe Food Safety
- Servsafe Alcohol Server Training
- TIPS Responsible Alcohol Server Training
For more info call Lonie Hutchison, 406-258-3880 or 406-203-4121 to for more information. Montana Restaurant Association members receive a significant discount for these trainings.
Home Safe Missoula
Many Missoula bars and restaurants participate in Home Safe Missoula. If patrons who drove a vehicle to the participating location feel they are not sober enough to get themselves home safely, they may ask the bartender and receive a $ 10.00 voucher for a taxicab ride home. The program is supported by the participating establishments, local alcohol beverage distributors and the Missoula DUI Task Force. To become a participating establishment call 406-203-4121. Forty-eight licensed establishments in Missoula participate in this program: Participating establishments.
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Quick facts |
- 99.2 % of traffic crashes are preventable. Do you practice defensive driving?
- 877 unbelted individuals are hospitalized annually in Montana, following a traffic crash.
- 819 of those hospitalized admissions would probably have been prevented if the individual had been wearing a seat belt. Do you wear a seat belt for every trip?
- Your best defense against a drunk or impaired driver is your seat belt.
Overview of Montana's Impaired Driving Program - MT Dept. Transportation
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Marijuana and driving |
One in five teen drivers surveyed in a recent poll has admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana. Study by Liberty Mutual Insurance And many of these teenagers don't seem to think driving while high is a big deal. Thirty-six percent of teens who have driven high say marijuana doesn't distract them from driving, the report continues.
But marijuana does seem to affect drivers. Pot is the most common illegal drug found in drivers who die in car accidents. "Marijuana: Facts for Teens," National Institute on Drug Abuse.
"Marijuana affects a number of skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time—so it's not safe to drive high or to ride with someone who's been smoking [pot]."
Many Teen Drivers Under Influence of Marijuana - By Laura McMullen
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Safe driving and DUI reduction information: |
- Child Safety Seats - How to use them, and installation check-up events.
- Child Passenger Safety Training - become a certified child passenger safety technician. Classes available in several Montana cities, April - July 2012. Click on "Find a Course".
- Disarming Montana's Biggest Killer
- Why wear a seat belt?
- Driver distractions - Cell Phones; Impaired Driving (includes eating); Sleep Deprivation and Driving.
- Alcohol Abuse
- Don't Serve Teens - Information for retail sales of alcohol, and parents.
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Teen drivers - Help your teen learn to drive responsibly: |
- Parents Are the Key - to safer teen drivers, from CDC
- New Driver's Contract
- Graduated Driver's Licensing
- Why are teen auto insurance rates so high?
- Teens "I Promise" Program
"Alcohol remains the most dangerous substance our kids consume—killing more kids than all illegal drugs combined." Jan Withers, president, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, press conference April 2012
- Missoula Underage Substance Abuse Prevention - MUSAP
- Under Age Drinking in Missoula County - 2011
- Teenagers Are Programmed for Risk - Reuters Health Info
- Survival Guide for Parents of Teens: Help for parents raising challenging teens.
- Teens Drinkers Often Get Alcohol From Family
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Other resources: |
- Underage Substance Abuse - Missoula Underage and Substance Abuse Project (MUSAP) Report 2011
- Defensive Driving - National Safety Council
- Missoula Measures - Traffic
- Montana Alcohol Offenses, 2002 - 2007
- Montana Traffic Problem ID Report - 2008
- Montana Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Bureau: State-wide statistics (choose PUBLICATIONS); Safe Driving Tips; Room to Live video; and much more
- Information on national traffic safety issues:
- Safety Belt Safe USA - Safety seats for kids with special needs - A publication to prevent injury to children in traffic.
- American Association of Pediatrics, committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
- Join Together Advancing effective alcohol and drug policy, prevention and treatment.
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