Bend DUII conference draws cops, prosecutors, judges

About 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents are caused by impaired drivers, and a group that gathered in Bend this weekend seeks to curb those tragic statistics.

The DUII Multi-Disciplinary Task Force held its annual two-day conference in Bend Friday and Saturday.

It’s funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation Traffic Safety division.

More than 300 law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges were getting up to date on the latest developments involving efforts to reduce impaired driving.

While most everyone there was already motivated in getting offenders off the road, the conference helps them spread the message.

“Because we can’t train everyone in the state of Oregon. But if we can train 350 people, we can send them back to their agencies or their business or their treatment center,” said Robert Hayes, chairman of the DUII Task Force.

“And they can put the fire back in the other employees that work there to help reduce the number of fatal motor vehicle crashes and injury crashes on our roads.”

The conference informed everyone on, for example, the new designer drugs on the market, including K2 spice, a synthetic cannabis, and bath salts.