History

History of VASAP

The history of what has come to be known as VASAP is thought to begin with the development of the four alcohol countermeasure activities of the MANN commission, formed in 1966, which recommended that Virginia respond to the Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966. Through federal funding, a state Highway Safety Division was formed, later to become the Department of Transportation Safety. In 1972 a pilot program in Fairfax County was established which was one of 35 national programs funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In 1975, the State Department of Transportation Safety submitted legislation to the Virginia General Assembly to expand the program statewide. Today there are 24 Alcohol Safety Action Programs located throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.