Growing Drugged Driving Problem

Just coming off of Memorial Day weekend many people may be more aware than normal of the concerted efforts made by law enforcement as well as community advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to keep the highways safe for travel. Alcohol and driving is a deadly combination that can devastate lives in a matter of moments. But alcohol alone is not endangering automobile travel these days. According to the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, impaired drivers today are combining alcohol with a host of other drugs.

The Administration reports that drugged driving is fast becoming a serious problem with around 13 percent of drivers who are pulled over on weekend evenings testing positive for illegal substances. The government agency further says that one third (33 percent) of all drivers killed in automobile accidents in 2009 had been under the influence of illegal drugs. Bodies can be tested post-mortem for the presence of these substances. In 2011, ten percent of high school students interviewed admitted to having driven an automobile while they were under the influence of marijuana. Clearly something needs to be done to interrupt the dangerous trend towards drugged driving.

The Federal government is aware of the problem and is planning ways to meet the challenge of drugged driving. President Obama named the problem as one of his priority issues. This has led to a cooperative effort between national agencies responsible for drug control, drug policy and highway safety in developing a nationwide campaign. Many are concerned, however, that advocacy and awareness campaigns may be too little too late.

For this reason, others are pushing hard for new and tougher legal ways to combat the problem. Laws which help put users of drugs who drive behind bars will be hampered until the government can come up with a standardized method of gauging a driver’s drug-induced impairment. Until the kinks are worked out, federal officials may use the state of Massachusetts as a proving ground. Proposed changes could be first tested in the state where the problem of drugged driving appears to be particularly present. While the national average for drugged drivers is 4.7 percent, the number of drugged drivers in Massachusetts is more like 6.4 percent.

Police say that their work is made more difficult by legal rulings. A Supreme Court ruling which said that the odor of marijuana is not sufficient justification for a search has slowed down efforts to staunch the tide of drugged driving as has the fact that it is no longer illegal to be in possession of the drug. Massachusetts joins 15 other states in making marijuana legal; a move which seems counterintuitive to stopping drugged driving. It is going to take a common mindset among lawmakers, law enforcement, and community leaders in order to really turn the trend around.