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Drugged Driving

Drugged driving is driving a vehicle while impaired due to the lingering effects of recent use of drugs other than alcohol

In 2009, 18% of fatally injured drivers tested positive for at least one drug (7560 deaths/year)
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/driving.html)

Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in fatally injured driver
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/driving.html)

In 2007, more than 12% of high school seniors admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana in the 2 weeks prior to the survey
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/driving.html)

Marijuana impairs your ability to drive by affecting:

  • Judgment
  • Motor coordination
  • Reaction time
  • Cognition
  • Attention
  • Perception of time and speed
  • Memory of past experience

Drugged driving laws have lagged behind drunk driving laws even though drugged driving is dangerous!

  • Drug tests require blood or urine and are usually done in a lab- no quick and easy test like a breathalyzer for alcohol
  • Drugs have no agreed upon limit for impairment like .08 BAC (blood alcohol concentration) for alcohol
  • Determining drug levels is difficult because drugs can linger in the body for days or weeks
  • Because of the above, it’s difficult to enforce drugged driving laws

http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/resources/teen/Steer_Clear_Dummy_Poster.pdf

Interesting facts about drugged driving and links to additional information:

Did you know that it is a criminal offense to drive under the influence of drugs- even OTC (over-the-counter) medications!- if there is evidence of impairment resulting as a use of the drug?

Driving Under the Influence of OTC Drugs
http://www.teenoverthecounterdrugabuse.com/driving-under-influence-otc-drugs.html

Did you know that many teens wrongly believe that driving under the influence of marijuana isn’t dangerous?

Drugged Driving a ‘Phantom Menace’ for Today’s Teens
http://www.sadd.org/teenstoday/teenstodaypdfs/druggeddriving.pdf 

Did you know that high school seniors cite ‘cars’ as the second most popular place to smoke marijuana?

Driving on Drugs as Common as Alcohol for Teens
http://www.roadandtravel.com/safetyandsecurity/teensandtots/2006/teendrugsdriving.htm

Do you know what marijuana does to your brain? Get some facts!

Marijuana Facts
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsmarijuana/

Test Your Brain
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/_flash/testyourbrain/swf/thebrain.swf

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