The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ARIDE course is described as a bridge between the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) courses. ARIDE, which stands for Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, is a 16-hour course that claims to teach officers how to look for signs of drug impairment during traffic stops. On October 16-17, the Northeastern Pennsylvania DUI Task Force will provide local law enforcement with ARIDE training. This is in response to what the Luzerne County’s District Attorney’s Office says in an increase in drug-related DUI cases across the state. While there may be an increase in drug-related DUI arrests, the total number of DUI arrests from 2008 to 2012 per the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System are down 7.8%.
