A series of reports released by federal transportation officials indicate that the number of drunk drivers has dropped dramatically over the last several years. While this is good news for everyone, the bad news is that drunk drivers appear to have been replaced by drugged drivers; those under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs which can lead to dangerous behavior.
The shocking decline in the number of drunk drivers on America’s roadways deserves more attention than the report has so far received. As state legislatures across the country are reconvening, many are considering harsh new proposals aimed at punishing drunk drivers and lowering the number of those who choose to get behind the wheel after having had too much to drink. The reality is that since 2007, the number of drunk drivers has dropped by almost a third, meaning the problem has already been addressed with some degree of success.
During this same time period, there was a corresponding rise in the number of drivers who used drugs, of whatever variety, before getting behind the wheel. The survey showed that 25 percent of those drivers tested in a 2014 survey were positive for a drug that could have a dangerous impact on their ability to safely operate a vehicle.
The survey showed that only eight percent of those surveyed had alcohol in their system (and only 1 percent were above the legal limit). This represents a 30 percent drop from 2007 numbers and an astounding 80 percent drop from when the test was first administered back in 1973.
This good news is tempered by the surprising rise in drugged driving. Number show that incidents of drugged driving jumped from 16 percent of those tested in 2007 to more than 20 percent last year. Those testing positive for the presence of marijuana jumped by nearly 50 percent.
Though some argue that marijuana use is not nearly as dangerous as alcohol and thus does not warrant the same kind of legal crackdown, another federal survey came to a different conclusion. In that study, 3,000 crashes were studied over a nearly two year period and researchers discovered that smoking marijuana increased the risk of a car accident in the same way that alcohol does. Marijuana use leads to impaired judgment, slowed reaction times and a decrease in overall awareness levels. Whether the new studies will cause legislators to take a more serious look at regulating the behavior of drugged drivers remains to be seen.
Source: “Fewer people driving drunk, but drug use on the road is rising,” by Ashley Halsey, published at WashingtonPost.com.