What: Nationally and local experts visit Maine to discuss impaired driving.
Where: Bangor Cross Insurance Center
When: June 27th 8:30am to 4:00pm
Who: Pat Moody
Director of Public Affairs
AAA Northern New England
pmoody@ace.aaa.com
(207) 780-6916
Driving behavior on our highways is getting worse with over 40,000 people dying in preventable car crashes annually. Roughly one third of all car crashes are the result of someone getting behind the wheel impaired by alcohol or other substances. In fact, each day about 28 people in America die in drunk-driving car crashes. 2021 nearly 43,000 people died in car crashes in the United States, the highest number in 16 years (NHTSA). To help with this growing problem AAA Northern New England and the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety are hosting the Maine Impaired Driving Summit this Tuesday (6/27) at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The summit will convene local and nationally recognized experts to Maine to generate awareness and understanding of the issues of impaired driving. Participants will engage in discussions about topics such marijuana legalization, education and prosecution, the rise in bicycle and pedestrian crashes, and hear from local victims of impaired driving crashes. Summit attendees include law enforcement, legislators, administrators, judicial, educators, forensic, and traffic safety professionals.
Welcome | Opening Remarks
- Pat Moody, Manager of Public Affairs, AAA Northern New England
- Commissioner Michael Sauschuck, Department of Public Safety
- Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Mission Moment
9:15 A Tragic Day in Randolph, NH | Was Justice Served?
- Colleen Scarneo, Forensic Toxicologist, New England Forensic Toxicology, LLC
10:15 Office of Cannabis Policy Update
- Mark Desjardin, Field Investigator, Office of Cannabis Policy
10:30 Break
10:45 Emerging Trends in Impaired Driving Investigation, Defense, and Prosecution
- Pat Mador, Androscoggin County Assistant District Attorney
- John Webb, Attorney, Webb Law
- Ellen A. Fraser, Blood Drug Testing Program Supervisor, Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory
- Annette Oliver, Section Manager for Driver License Services-Control, Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- Detective John Roma, Brunswick Police Department
- Moderator: Scot Mattox, Maine Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor
12:00 Lunch | Traffic Safety Awards
1:00 Technology, Tools, and Resources to Combat Impaired Driving Cases
- Erin Inman, Staff Attorney, National Traffic Law Center
2:00 Cannabis Communications – Community Engagement
- Sam Cole, Traffic Safety Communications Manager, Colorado DOT
- Jeff Larason, Program Director for Highway Safety Communications, Travelers Marketing
2:45 Advanced Impaired Driving Prevention Technology: A Future of No More Victims
- Stephanie Manning, Chief Government Affairs Officer, MADD
3:30 The Mellanby Effect: Why Impaired Individuals Should Not Be Allowed to Be Behind the Wheel
- Scot Mattox, Maine Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor
- Joshua Saucier, Assistant Maine Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor