Researchers with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have released a new report which shows that roughly twenty percent of drivers who were killed in car crashes last year tested positive for drugs, which information raises concern about the effect of drug use on auto safety.
According to the NHTSA, this new information merely highlights a growing trend of people driving while under the influence of drugs. They cautioned, however, that there was no clear proof drug use actually caused the crashes, and that more research was required in order to determine how the ability to drive safely is undermined by specific drugs.
In nearly 18 percent of the drivers who were killed last year – roughly 4,000 of 22,000 – drug use was reported. Five years ago, only 13 percent of the more than 27,000 drivers killed in car accidents tested positive for drugs.
The numbers, the researchers say, could be higher, since only about 3 of every 5 drivers killed in a car crash are tested for drugs, and because drug testing procedures and policies vary from state to state. Roughly a third of the drivers who were killed in 2009 and tested for drugs after the fact had drugs in their systems.
The NHSTA says that the drivers were tested for both illegal and legal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, inhalants, LSD, marijuana, methamphetamine, morphine, and prescription drugs.? Because? different drugs remain present in the blood stream for different lengths of time, it is not possible to be certain how long before a crash drug use occurred.?
Aspirin, nicotine, alcohol and drugs administered after the crash were excluded from the tests.
Gil Kerlikowske, White House Drug Policy Director called the research a “good first attempt” at understanding the role of drug use in car crash fatalities.
While there are many drugs that can affect a motorist’s reaction time and judgment capabilities, researches are still trying to determine the level of drug use that can impair one’s ability to drive safely. Unlike the 0.08 blood alcohol level that is the legal limit nationwide, there is no similar, measured level of impairment for many drugs.
Kerlikowske explained, “It’s very clear that we’ve got a significant problem.” He added, “We’ve made great progress on alcohol-impaired driving through education and enforcement. There’s just no reason we won’t be able to make progress in this area once we start bringing it to people’s attention and we start doing the enforcement that’s needed.”
Kerlikowske also said that improved testing procedures and standards for detecting drug use by motorists, along with better training for law enforcement officers, could help in the fight against drugged driving.
