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The use of both legal and illegal drugs can significantly impact individuals’ driving behaviors. With 23 states and Washington D.C. now permitting medicinal marijuana use and four states and D.C. permitting recreational cannabis use, the number of people who utilize pot is steadily rising.  The number of people who use prescription drugs has also gone up significantly, with the amount of prescription pain killers being dispensed in the U.S. quadrupling since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The rise in drug use is troubling because it is leading to more drugged drivers. This increase in drivers impaired due to narcotics is occurring at the same time as a continued decline in the number of drunk drivers. This is a problem because drugged driving can present many of the same dangers as drunk driving. If you or someone you love is hurt by an impaired driver who was using either alcohol or drugs, contact a Ft. Myers personal injury lawyer like Randall Spivey to learn about holding the intoxicated or drugged motorist accountable.

States are Encouraged to Prevent Drugged Driving

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) highlighted the increasing problems associated with drugged driving. They have provided statistics on the issue and have teamed up with the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility to release a comprehensive report about how states can combat the problem of drugged driving.

According to the GHSA, the percent of fatally-injured motorists who test positive for drugs in their system has reached 40 percent -- a number that is close to the same percentage who test positive for having alcohol in their system.  When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a roadside survey, that study revealed that 22 percent of drivers tested positive for some sort of medication or drug.

A driver may be tested for both legal and illegal drugs when someone is killed in a motor vehicle accident or when law enforcement officers suspect a motorist is driving while affected by drugs.  While it is not against the law to take prescription or over-the-counter medication, it can be illegal for an individual to drive under the influence of the medication if it affects his or her driving abilities. 

Taking illegal drugs, of course, is not permitted and driving under the influence of any of those drugs can be a serious criminal offense. Driving under the use of legal or illegal drugs can also make you civilly liable for any crash caused during such impairment.

The GHSA believes every state needs to do its part to help reduce the number of people on the roads who are impaired. States need to act even if they have not yet legalized marijuana. States should take certain steps including, but not limited to assessing data to understand the problem; updating impaired driving laws; providing better training to police, prosecutors and judges; and testing all motorists for drugs after a fatal crash. 

Hopefully, if states take such actions, there will be fewer situations in which drugged drivers cause dangerous or deadly collisions.  However, there is likely to always be some risk of impaired drivers on the roads. Those who are hurt or killed by a motorist who is drunk or drugged need to consult with a personal injury lawyer to make a case for compensation for all resulting losses. Call the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. today.