Driving While Drugged - Millions Do It

Did you know that while driving under the influence of alcohol has declined in the past years, driving while under the influence of drugs is still a major concern?

“Within the past 20 years, people are starting to realize that driving while intoxicated with alcohol is a bad thing and they are avoiding it,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab GA.

“Unfortunately, this same kind of thinking has not extended itself to driving while drugged- more and more people are driving under the influence of both illegal drugs and prescription drugs. And if one is suffering from drug addiction, the possibilities of driving while drugged is very high.

“After much effort from educators, legislators, law enforcement, and community organizations, we have seen a decline in the number of people killed or injured as a result of drunk driving.

“However, not enough attention has been placed on drugged driving, or driving under the influence of drugs.

“In only 15 states (Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin), is it illegal to operate a motor vehicle if there is any detectable level of a prohibited drug, or its metabolites, in the driver's blood.

“Other state laws define ‘drugged driving’ as driving when a drug ‘renders the driver incapable of driving safely’ or ‘causes the driver to be impaired.’

“It is only common sense that driving under the influence of anything, such as illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine, will impair the driver’s judgment, have a negative effect on their motor skills and reaction time, and may even put them in a state of mind of ‘not-caring’. 

”What some people may not realize is that these same effects are also produced by ‘legal’ drugs, such as over the counter cold medicines and prescription drugs. Does everyone read the warning labels that state ‘May cause drowsiness’, or ‘Do not operate machinery’? Probably not.

“What about the drugs that can cause ‘sleep driving’ or even ‘sleep eating’? I am sure that someone taking Ambien or other sleep aids doesn’t intend to get up in the middle of the night to drive around the freeway while asleep. But it has happened.”

How Many People Take Drugs and Drive?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2006. Studies also have found that drugs are used by 10 to 22 percent of drivers involved in crashes, often in combination with alcohol.

According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 10.2 million people age 12 and older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the year prior to being surveyed.2 This corresponds to 4.2 percent of the population age 12 and older, similar to the rate in 2005 (4.3 percent), but lower than the rate in 2002 (4.7 percent). In 2006, the rate was highest among young adults age 18 to 25 (13.0 percent).

In addition:
• In 2006, an estimated 13.3 percent of persons age 12 and older drove under the influence of an illicit drug or alcohol at least once in the past year. This percentage has dropped since 2005, when it was 14.1 percent. The 2006 estimate corresponds to 32.8 million persons.2
• Driving under the influence of an illicit drug or alcohol was associated with age. In 2006, an estimated 7.3 percent of youth age 16 drove under the influence. This percentage steadily increased with age to reach a peak of 31.8 percent among young adults age 22. Beyond the age of 22, these rates showed a general decline with increasing age.2
• Also in 2006, among persons age 12 and older, males were nearly twice as likely as females (17.6 percent versus 9.3 percent) to drive under the influence of an illicit drug or alcohol in the past year.

In recent years, drugs other than alcohol that act on the brain have increasingly been recognized as hazards to road traffic safety. Some of this research has been done in other countries or in specific regions within the United States, and the prevalence rates for different drugs vary accordingly. Overall, the research indicates that marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims. Other drugs also implicated include benzodiazepines, cocaine, opiates, and amphetamines.

According to the NHTSA, vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among young people age 16 to 20. It is generally accepted that because teens are the least experienced drivers as a group, they have a higher risk of being involved in an accident compared with more experienced drivers. When this lack of experience is combined with the use of marijuana or other substances that impact cognitive and motor abilities, the results can be tragic.

• Results from NIDA's Monitoring the Future survey indicate that, in 2006, more than 13 percent of high school seniors admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana in the 2 weeks prior to the survey.
• The 2004 State of Maryland Adolescent Survey indicates that 13.5 percent of the State’s licensed adolescent drivers reported driving under the influence of marijuana on three or more occasions.

In short, drugged driving is a dangerous activity that puts us all at risk.

Source: NIDA

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