Drugged Driving: A Serious Problem in the Big Apple
In the Big Apple, and especially across Long Island, recent studies have found that drugged driving is actually a bigger issue than drunk driving. According to a AAA report, there are now more fatal crashes where drivers tested positive for drugs than alcohol—with the summer time months creating the highest concentration of these types of accidents. The drug of choice for most involved in these accidents? Marijuana.
Are There Any Viable Solutions?
There's no denying the drugged driving problem -- not just in New York, but in many major metropolitan areas across the entire United States. Recognizing this serious issue, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have proposed numerous potential solutions.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges to keeping drugged drivers off the road is the lack of standard, reliable roadside test options to determine whether or not a driver is under the influence of drugs. With alcohol, standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) can be used by law enforcement officers to recognize and arrest drunk drivers. However, there are currently no standardized field tests for drugs that can be used to make an outright arrest.
Still, as MADD suggests, getting drunk drivers off the road can in turn reduce the number of drugged drivers behind the wheel. What they propose, then, is that states put additional funding into law enforcement training so that more police officers are able to recognize signs of impaired driving and act accordingly. Currently, there are states across the country that do not require law enforcement officers to have any SFST training at all. This needs to change.
MADD has also proposed that states spend more of their law enforcement training dollars on certifying drug recognition experts (DREs). This can be done through the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program, which trains police officers to better identify drug-impaired drivers through a three-phase curriculum that involves recognizing physical, mental, and medical components of drug impairment.
Right now, only 37 states are participating in this program. If more states stepped forward and provided officers with DRE training and certification, it may be easier to keep drugged drivers off the road. This, in turn, could lower instances of traffic accidents caused by drugged drivers across New York and the rest of the United States.
The Bottom Line
It would be difficult to argue that drugged driving isn't a serious problem that needs to be addressed; but as of right now, it seems that nobody can agree on a practical solution. MADD has proposed some viable options, including increased training for SFST and DRE. In the meantime, simply spreading awareness of the problem may help to save lives. And, of course, if you're ever driving and see what you believe to be an impaired driver, the best thing you can do is to get the driver's license plate number and a vehicle description before calling police. Never follow an impaired driver.
Hopefully, you will never be in a situation where you or a loved one is injured in an auto accident caused by an impaired driver. If you are, however, seeking legal guidance and representation is a must. From there, you can ensure that your legal rights and best interests are protected in court and that you can recover any compensation to which you may be entitled.