Drunk Driving in United States

Drunk Driving Definition

Driving Under The Influence (Dui) in this Legal Encyclopedia
Driving Under The Influence (Dui) definition in the Law Dictionary

Preventing Drugged Driving and Drunk Driving

Note: we explore drugged driving in greater detail in this entry here.

Each year thousands of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians tragically lose their lives because of impaired and distracted driving. This reckless behavior not only includes drunk driving, but also driving after taking drugs. The use of drugs, including prescription drugs, can impair judgment and motor skills.

The data on the risks of drugged driving are compelling. Among drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes with known drug test results, one in three tested positive for drugs. In a 2007 roadside survey conducted by the Department of Transportation (DOT), one in eight nighttime weekend drivers tested positive for an illicit drug. This number rose to one in six when pharmaceuticals with the potential to impair driving (i.e., opioid pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants) were included. Additionally, according to the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) Study—the Nation’s largest survey of drug use among young people—one in eight high school seniors reported that in the 2 weeks prior to the survey, they had driven after smoking marijuana, a 14 percent increase over 2008.

The Administration has made combating drugged driving a drug control strategy priority and has set a goal of reducing the prevalence of drugged driving by 10 percent by 2015. To better understand the threat posed by drugged driving and to aid in developing an appropriate response, NIDA and ONDCP convened a multidisciplinary meeting in 2010 to establish a research agenda on the topic and started defining protocols to detect the presence of specific drugs, such as smoked marijuana and MDMA (Ecstasy).

In addition to supporting NIDA in this important effort, ONDCP works with other Federal agencies to highlight the problem of drugged driving and reduce its prevalence. For example, ONDCP is working with national associations and experts to raise awareness of the dangers of drugged driving, provide technical assistance to states considering anti-drugged driving laws, and provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to effectively detect and prosecute drugged drivers. Already, 17 states have per se or zero tolerance statutes. In these states, it is a criminal offense to drive after taking illegal drugs while the drugs are still detectable in one’s system. ONDCP has partnered with youth and community organizations such as the National Organization for Youth Safety, as well as state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and DMVs to help educate and enhance public awareness of the alarming prevalence of drivers on roadways with drugs in their systems.

Domestic law enforcement agencies are also partnering to reduce the prevalence of drugged driving. NHTSA and ONDCP will provide funding to develop an online version of the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) program. ARIDE will bridge key gaps in the training of law enforcement officers to better identify and assess drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The online ARIDE program will provide this important training in a consolidated, online application that enables trainees to become more familiar with the key points of identifying a drugged driver, effectively providing training more quickly to more officers, and at lower costs. Trained officers can immediately use these new skills to identify and assist in removing drugged drivers from the road.