BANGOR, Maine — Highway safety leaders met in Bangor for the 10th impaired driving at the Maine Impaired Driving Summit on Tuesday.
The event was hosted jointly by AAA Northern New England, The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
Held at the Cross Insurance Center, nearly 200 people came to listen to key speakers and learn more when it comes to impaired driving in Maine and across the country.
"Putting on events like this is the backbone of our traffic safety advocacy efforts," AAA Northern New England Public Affairs Manager Dan Goodman said.
According to AAA Northern New England, roughly one-third of all car crashes are the result of someone getting behind the wheel impaired by alcohol or other substances.
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A handful of speakers touched on topics from state trends and prevention to better practices for officers when it comes to investigating impaired driving cases.
When it comes to preventing impaired driving, safety leaders say holding these kinds of educational events can help find new ways to spot and stop impaired drivers, either when under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or even illicit drugs.
"Events like this are there to help support our law enforcement and our attorneys as we see more drivers impaired by marijuana and alcohol," Goodman added.
The event ran from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.