Drugged Driving

Americans are all-too familiar with the terrible consequences of drunk driving. We also are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of driving with distractions such as text messaging or talking on a cell phone. Working with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other Federal agencies, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is taking steps to highlight the growing problem of drugged driving.

Overview

The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy includes a goal of reducing drugged driving in the United States 10% by the year 2015. Specifically, ONDCP aims to make preventing drugged driving a national priority on par with preventing drunk driving. To work toward this goal, the Strategy calls for:

• Encouraging states to adopt Per Se drug impairment laws;
• Collecting further data on drugged driving;
• Enhancing prevention of drugged driving by education communities and professionals;
• Providing increased training to law enforcement on identifying drugged drivers; and
• Developing standard screening methodologies for drug-testing labs to use in detecting the presence of drugs.

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Research

It is well known that drugs, even those prescribed by a physician, can impair perception, judgment, motor skills, and memory. Recent surveys have shown how pervasive drugged driving has become in the United States.

The National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers, a nationally representative survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found that in 2007, 16 percent of weekend nighttime drivers (roughly one in six) tested positive for licit or illicit drugs. Moreover, approximately one in ten high school seniors responding to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Study (MTF) reported driving after smoking marijuana within two weeks prior to the survey interview.

These results highlight the scope of drugged driving in America and reinforce the importance of reducing all drug abuse.

What You Can Do

Drugged driving poses threats to public safety, as evidenced by the number of fatal crashes each year on our Nation's highways. Here are some things you can do to encourage safe driving:

• Interested Individuals: No matter who you are, you can help address this issue in your community. Communities can reinforce the message that alcohol and drug use can cause serious harm. Healthcare professionals can learn to recognize patients with substance-use problems and talk with patients about such issues. Individuals who use drugs can seek the help they need to live drug-free lives. And if you know of someone taking a road trip this summer, send them an ecard to remind them to drive safely.
  
  
• Parents: It's important that our youngest drivers learn how to drive safely and make healthy choices. To learn more about this issue, read facts about teen driving, learn the top 10 tips for preventing teen accidents, and take the Drugged, Drunk, and Distracted Driving Quiz.
  
  
• Law Enforcement Officers: Law enforcement officials see the tragedies that too often result when people use drugs and drive. Fortunately, trained Drug Recognition Experts can help to identify drugged drivers, hold them accountable, and get them off the road and into an appropriate level of counseling or treatment. Learn more about becoming a Drug Recognition Expert.
  
  
• State and Local Officials: States working to reduce drugged driving can explore legal responses, such as per se laws that make it illegal for individuals to drive with any level of illicit drugs in their system. This not only will help deter drugged driving, it will hold drugged drivers accountable and encourage them to get treatment so they can lead a drug-free life.

Partner Programs

Successful substance-abuse prevention programs, combined with public education and penalties for those who fail to comply with the law, will continue to receive support in the effort to reduce the public safety threat of drugged driving. Here are some programs from our Federal partners:

• Over the Limit. Under Arrest. (Department of Transportation) – An effort to crack down on impaired driving.
  
  
• The Drug Evaluation and Classification program (DEC) (Department of Transportation) – A program that aids State and local jurisdictions in detecting and arresting drugged drivers and provides training to prosecutors and judges in the prosecution of drugged drivers.
  
  
• Drug-Free Communities Support program (DFC) – Funding hundreds of communities around the country, the DFC program helps communities identify and respond to local substance abuse issues.
  
  
• National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign – A campaign aimed at preventing and reducing youth drug use across the country by increasing teen exposure to anti-drug messages with a highly visible national media presence and on-the-ground activities, including a number of free online resources to help prevent drugged, drunk, and distracted driving among teenagers.

Resources

• ONDCP Fact Sheet: Working to Get Drugged Drivers Off the Road (PDF)
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): InfoFacts: Drugged Driving
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): Get the Facts about Drugged Driving