Hurst, Texas – October 27, 2026 -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) convened 80 traffic safety leaders from 38 jurisdictions on November 17–19, 2025, to address declining DUI enforcement capacity across the United States.
Attendees included state police agencies, sheriff's offices, municipal police departments, prosecutors' offices and highway safety organizations. MADD ran the National Law Enforcement Leadership Summit on Impaired Driving as a working session rather than a traditional conference.
Four pressures are eroding DUI enforcement effectiveness
Participants said proactive traffic stops have fallen steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting officer visibility and deterrence. Staffing shortages and accelerated hiring cycles have left departments with newer officers who have limited experience with complex DUI and drug-impaired investigations.
Poly-substance impairment cases are rising. Inconsistent toxicology protocols and crime laboratory backlogs delay prosecutions. A single impaired driving arrest often consumes five to six hours of an officer's shift.
Participants warned that when enforcement does not consistently produce court convictions, officer motivation suffers and DUI work risks being deprioritized without clear leadership support and departmental accountability.
Agencies adopted new tactics within 60 days of the summit
A 60-day follow-up survey, conducted as part of MADD's report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found attending agencies had implemented new strategies. One agency began testing smaller, more frequent sobriety checkpoints, which keep a visible deterrent in place while requiring significantly fewer personnel.
Another agency launched hyper-targeted social media campaigns built around firsthand accounts from families affected by impaired driving.
MADD points to HALT-mandated vehicle technology as the prevention path
MADD said prevention remains the most effective strategy against drunk driving. It cited passive impairment-detection technology required under the federal HALT Drunk Driving Law (Section 24220 of Public Law 117-158). The systems use advanced sensors to detect driver impairment before a vehicle can be put into drive, which would spare officers from responding to preventable crashes.