Drugged Driving Doubles Risk of Serious Texas Car Wreck

We all know the dangers of drinking and driving, texting and driving, and distracted driving, all of which have been the subjects of major public service campaigns. But less talked about is drugged driving, which is driving under the influence of a controlled substance, legal or illegal.

Study Finds Marijuana Use Nearly Doubles the Risk of Automobile Accidents
Researchers at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada analyzed data from several studies regarding the use of marijuana. Nine of the studies dealt with motor vehicle accidents and had collected data from an estimated 49,000 people who had been involved in a car wreck, truck wreck, bus wreck, or motorcycle wreck. Use of marijuana involved in those accidents was either found via blood testing done by police or was self-reported by the driver.

Based on the data, the researchers found that there was a relationship between using marijuana and being involved in an automobile accident. The studies revealed that driving after recently using marijuana nearly doubled the risk that the user would be in a major and potentially fatal automobile accident.

Even Legal Drugs Can Impair Driving
In the United States, marijuana is an illegal drug that falls under Schedule I. Some states like California have enacted laws to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. In Texas, use of marijuana is illegal—medical or otherwise.

But marijuana is not the only drug found in drivers’ systems after major automobile accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 16 percent of all drivers who drove on the weekend at night had some kind of drug in their system.

Some legal drugs, including painkillers like Hydrocodone, Vicodin, and Oxycontin, can be especially dangerous to use when driving, as they slow reaction times and can cause drivers to become drowsy. Many prescription drugs that cause these side effects come with warnings on the bottle, but drivers should be careful when using any drug, as the drug may cause an adverse reaction.

Detecting Drugged Driving May Be Difficult
Of course, just like alcohol, one of the problems with drugged driving is that different drugs affect different people in different ways. With alcohol, states were able to set a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of .08 percent so that even if drivers did not exhibit signs of being drunk, they could still be arrested and charged with drunk driving if their BAC was .08 or above. The same cannot be said for other drugs, which are not easily tested for in drivers, although drivers can still be arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Further, an editorial accompanying the study suggests that randomly pulling over drivers who are believed to be under the influence and testing them may not prevent dangerous accidents. One reason for this is that researchers are unclear what level of marijuana in the body equates to impairment. And critics say that public service campaigns, like the ones run for drunk driving, may not work as well with people who choose to drive under the influence of marijuana and other drugs.

For more information on the drug addiction epidemic in the United States, read my article “America’s Growing Addiction” at www.vanweylaw.com.

Don't hesitate to contact Kay Van Wey at (800)489-5082 for a free, no obligation consultation.

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