Drugged Driving

One out of eight vehicles on the road on any given weekend night is being driven by an individual with illegal drugs in his or her system. This statistic, from the Naitonal Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers, highlights the pervasiveness of drugged driving. In 2008, 12 percent of 18-25 year olds reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the previous year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Further, the Monitoring the Future survey showed that, in 2008, 1 in 10 high schools eniors said they had driven a vehicle after smoking marijuana in the two weeks prior to the survey. The news is disturbing because drugs can impair perception, judgment, motor skills and memory. Drugged driving endangers not only drivers who use drugs. It puts us all at risk and must be prevented.