News

Actions

Study: More people are driving drugged than driving drunk

MD experts hold symposium to talk about issue
Posted at 5:34 PM, Apr 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-26 18:12:40-04

Officials say these are unnecessary deaths on the roads.

523 lives lost.  Roadway fatalities in Maryland are at the highest level since 2009, that's according to preliminary 2016 data just released by the Maryland Department of Transportation. 

Officials say people are dying in crashes across the state for not buckling up, speeding, and driving under the influence.

"Whether it's drugs or whether it's alcohol, we know that impairment is a dangerous thing behind the wheel," said Maryland Motor Vehicle Administrator, Chrissy Nizer.

For the first time, statistics show that drivers killed in crashes are more likely to be on drugs then drunk.  The Governors Highway Safety Administration and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility issued a report Wednesday, finding in 2015 that 43% of drivers tested nationwide after a deadly wreck had used some kind of drug, eclipsing the 37% who were above the legal limit for alcohol.

"We know that it took many years to bring awareness to the dangers involving drunk driving, we need to really step it up and bring that same level of awareness to the issue of drugged driving," Ragina Cooper Averella with AAA Mid-Atlantic said.

AAA is hosting symposiums across the country to focus on the issue.  For three hours Wednesday, experts came together to address some of the challenges of drugged driving in our state, like tracking incidents, finding resources and making sure people are informed.

"It's also a challenge for law enforcement in terms of how do they investigate it, how do they detect it, and how do they pursue charges against people,” Chris Halsor, Founder of Understanding Legal Marijuana said.  “Or how do they determine somebody's okay and they send them on the way."

And it's not just smoking pot and shooting up, people also get behind the wheel on prescription and over-the-counter meds that impair their abilities.