Drugged driving now bigger highway threat than drunk driving

By James T. Mulder

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Drugged driving has surpassed drunk driving as a highway safety issue as more states legalize marijuana and record numbers of people die from drug overdoses.

Forty-three percent of drivers killed in traffic accidents nationwide tested positive for drugs in 2015, according to a report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.

By comparison, 37 percent of drivers in fatal accidents tested positive for alcohol.

Marijuana was the most common drug found in fatally-injured drivers. More than one third -- 36.5 percent -- tested positive for marijuana and 9.3 percent tested positive for amphetamines.

The reported cited a study which found heavy marijuana use can double the risk of motor vehicle crashes resulting in serious injury or death.

Medical marijuana is legal in New York state. Massachusetts recently legalized marijuana for recreational use.

While driving under the influence of drugs is illegal in every state, drugged driving laws are difficult to enforce and prosecute, the report says.

Identifying drivers impaired by drugs is more complicated and takes longer than identifying drunk drivers, according to the report. Many police officers are not trained to identify drugged drivers.

Also, there is no valid roadside device police can use to test for marijuana and other drugs the way they use breathalyzers to test for alcohol.

The report recommends states track data on drugged and drunk driving separately so they can estimate the size of the drugged driving problem.

The report says some police officers in New York enter data on drugged driving on computer tablets at the scene of investigations, then transfer that data into a central data system.