Only about 2% of automobile crashes in Raleigh last year involved drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol. But those crashes killed 11 people, nearly 29% of all traffic deaths in the city, according to data compiled by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
That’s one reason the Raleigh Police Department is once again creating a special unit devoted to impaired driving.
The city received a $553,707 federal grant through the state to establish the unit. It will have three officers to conduct special patrols and train others in the department on how to detect and test for impaired driving and prepare for court…