In the early 1980’s, President Ronald Reagan formed a Task Force to reduce the number of Americans killed each year in drunk driving crashes. The Task Force faced a difficult task as the death rate was increasing and reached an all time high of 26,173 deaths in 1982.     

    The United States Congress responded to this yearly slaughter on our national highways by passing legislation requiring states to establish an effective program to reduce drunk driving on the local level. With renewed enthusiasm and congressional mandates in hand, lawmakers and elected officials began working to strengthen ineffective drunk driving laws and increase the drinking age from 18 to 21 years old.          

     Accordingly, the New York State Legislature created the “Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated”--- better know as, STOP-DWI. The STOP-DWI Program provides that the fine monies collected for D.W.I. related offenses remain in the county where the arrest and conviction occurred. The funds are then disbursed to local law enforcement agencies through a county coordinator and used to enhance enforcement activities, improve police training and raise public awareness.            

      In 1982 the Rockland County STOP-DWI Office was established under the direction of a county coordinator.  Since its inception, the STOP-DWI Office has worked collaboratively with local law enforcement and like-minded organizations that share common goals. STOP-DWI provides equipment, funding, and training for law enforcement as well as educational presentations and support for community-based coalitions, substance abuse/treatment organizations and parent advocacy groups. 

     Over the past twenty one years, we have learned that drunk driving, underage drinking and substance abuse is a pervasive problem in our society that can best be dealt with through a combination of public awareness and involvement, enforcement, education and improved training for police officers.  STOP-DWI endeavors to coordinate the efforts of all stakeholders to reduce drunk driving, underage drinking and substance abuse and make Driving While Intoxicated everyone’s problem and not just a problem for law enforcement to solve.

     Please feel free to browse our web site and look at the many areas that our office has ventured into as we endeavor to reduce the incidence of Driving While Intoxicated, under age drinking and substance abuse.   We welcome your participation and encourage your suggestions on how we might improve the services we provide.  Thanks for visiting and check back with us often as we update our web site several times throughout the year.