The tragic consequences of alcohol-related accidents are well known, with approximately 1,000 fatalities and a conservative estimate of 20,000 serious injuries per year in New York State. Local, State and Federal officials working in the area of public safety regard the drinking driver as one of the most serious and preventable of public health and safety problems. The Federal Department of Transportation has recently identified the drinking driver as the number one cause of death on the highway. The efforts of the Legislature, enforcement community, drinking driver programs, public education and alcoholism treatment agencies have attempted to meet this problem, but efforts have not always been conducted in a coordinated manner. Such coordination can occur through a comprehensive analysis of alcohol-related highway safety problems and a comprehensive coordinated State plan to alleviate these problems.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Hugh L. Carey, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of New York, do hereby establish a task force, to be known as the Alcohol and Highway Safety Task Force, to assist me in the design of a comprehensive coordinated State plan to alleviate problems relative to alcohol and highway safety.

I. Powers and responsibilities.

The Alcohol and Highway Safety Task Force will:

— undertake a comprehensive analysis of alcohol-related highway safety problems in New York State;

— analyze different prevention, intervention and rehabilitation models which may effectively reduce the population of drinking drivers and alleviate other alcohol and highway safety problems;

— investigate alcohol- and highway safety-related problems to determine the feasibility of coordinated and/or expanded services;

— investigate funding mechanisms to assure the development and maintenance of a comprehensive coordinated State program to alleviate alcohol and highway safety problems;

— prepare reports for the Governor and Legislature on the nature and extent of alcohol-related higway safety problems and the elements of a comprehensive State response;

— cooperate in the preparation of legislation to promote alcohol and highway safety;

— collect and analyze data on the impact of Federal and State spending on alcohol and highway safety;

— coordinate State efforts for obtaining available Federal funds for alcohol and highway safety;

— develop mechanisms to inform local government executives, legislators, police officials, judges, health care officials and other interested parties of efforts aimed at alcohol and highway safety.

II. Membership.

The Director of the Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles will co-chair the Alcohol and Highway Safety Task Force. Additional members of the task force will include: Superintendent of Division of State Police, Commissioner of Division of Criminal Justice Services, Commissioner of Department of Education, Director of Division of Probation, Director of Division of Substance Abuse Services, Chairman of Commission of Correction, Commissioner of Department of Health, Chairman of Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, Commissioner of Department of Transportation, and Commissioner of Department of Correctional Services. Other concerned groups in the public and private sector will be encouraged to participate as the work of the task force develops.

The task force shall meet at the direction of the co-chairpersons and shall periodically report to the Governor on its activities. The task force shall prepare and submit to the Governor, for his review, a progress report by May first of each year. A comprehensive analysis and State plan will be developed by July 1981, which will include a statement of coordinated agency policy.

The members of the task force shall receive no compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for any necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties.