Legalize pot and you can bet there will be a significant increase in the number of highway deaths.
Since the data reported by the states varies ‘widely in how often they test for drugs,’ the drug use among killed drivers is probably far in excess of 33%.
DRUG USE FOUND IN 33% OF KILLED DRIVERS
USA TODAY
December 1, 2010
According to a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) report released Tuesday, one-third of all drug tests on drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents came back positive for drugs ranging from hallucinogens to prescription painkillers last year.
The report, the agency's first analysis of drug use in traffic crashes, showed a 5-percentage-point increase in the number of tested drivers found to have drugs in their systems since 2005. The increase coincided with more drivers being tested for drugs, the report shows.
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the numbers are "alarmingly high" and called for more states to address the problem of driving and drug use.
Seventeen states have some form of such laws, according to NHTSA: Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Although much research has been done on alcohol's effects on driving, little has been done on the impact of drugs on driving, researchers say. The NHTSA analysis doesn't address whether the drugs were at levels that would impair driving. Plus, the data are reported by the states, which vary widely in how often they test for drugs, the report notes.
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