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The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department (FLHSMV) classifies impaired driving as driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or legal drugs (prescription and over-the-counter) and/or illegal drugs. Impaired driving is involved in about one-quarter of all Florida motor vehicle deaths. (Florida Statute Section 316.193 covers the complete statutory language relating to DUIs.)

Florida has a variety of strategies to target impaired drivers. Using Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) grant funds, education campaigns such as  "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over” are available. FDOT says:

• Drive Sober Florida provides Floridians and visitors to the state with educational information on reducing fatalities and serious injuries caused by impaired driving. Drive Sober Florida uses a data-driven research approach to develop resources, educational materials and provide fatal and serious injury data related to impaired driving relevant to all Florida roadway users. 

• Drive Sober Florida assists the FDOT’s Impaired Driving Program with implementing the Impaired Driving Strategic Plan goals and strategies. The program is funded primarily by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funds that support highway safety programs. 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) expanded its mission in 2015 to include fighting drug-impaired driving. It created a Drugged Driving Task Force along with key law enforcement, traffic safety, and research experts to study the potential effects of marijuana legalization, the national opioid crisis, and the prevalence of prescription drugs. According to MADD, it learned:

• Proven tools to combat drunk driving, such as high-visibility law enforcement, will detect and stop drugged driving too. 

• More research, more data, and better testing are needed to fully understand the impact of marijuana legalization and other drugs on traffic safety and the under 21 population. 

• Alcohol is a drug that took years of research to understand and establish methods for measuring its impairing effects. The same cannot be said for measuring impairment caused by other drugs, but that doesn’t diminish the seriousness of drug-impaired driving.

MADD reports that the wide variety of drugs and their different levels of impairment means training is important to reduce the number of drugged drivers on our roads.

MADD National President Helen Witty said, “Although drunk driving remains the No. 1 cause of highway deaths, drugged driving is an emerging and growing threat we cannot ignore. My 16-year-old daughter, Helen Marie, was killed by a teen driver impaired by both alcohol and marijuana – an especially dangerous combination. Impairment is impairment, and MADD is working to support victims of these crimes and fight for policies and technologies to make sure there are no more stories like Helen Marie’s.”

“DUIs are preventable, and we at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. urge everyone to drive sober. If you or a loved one is injured because of the negligence of another, please contact our Fort Myers DUI accident lawyers after seeking medical attention. We have handled countless cases where accidental injuries and deaths were caused by drunk/drugged drivers. Here are a few examples:

• A record jury verdict was awarded to a Naples car accident victim who suffered serious back injuries because of a crash caused by a drunk driver who crossed the center line and struck her vehicle. 

• A jury verdict was obtained for the victim of a drunk driver crash in Collier County. The victim received fractures to his hip, pelvis, and both feet. 

• A settlement was obtained for a motorcycle accident victim who received vision loss and other injuries when a drunk driver pulled into the path of his motorcycle in Port Charlotte. 

We are available 24/7 to assist you, and there are no costs or attorney fees until we receive a monetary recovery for you,” said Fort Myers DUI Accident Lawyer Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Personal Injury Attorney Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one percent (1%) of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact  Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll-free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.