Drunken Driving Declines, But Drug Use Remains a Problem
The nation’s drunken driving laws appear to be having a positive effect, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 1973, 7.5% of drivers had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher (the legal limit everywhere in the country), while in the most recent study, NHTSA says that number rests at 2.2% of drivers.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are other drivers out there under the influence of some kind of narcotic. Only as recently as 2007 did NHTSA begin to screen for substances other than alcohol, and its findings were not pretty.
According to NHTSA, 16.3% of nighttime weekend drivers tested positive for some type of drug — 8.6% were impaired by marijuana, 3.9% by cocaine and 3.9% by over-the-counter or prescription drugs. That means there are people who wouldn’t get behind the wheel after drinking, but who feel perfectly fine about it after doing cocaine or smoking pot.
NHTSA will conduct further studies to figure out how to test more accurately for drug use and find ways to discourage people from engaging in the kind of behavior that can risk lives on the road.
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When would these laws be Updated Next?
The House and Senate probably won't bring the laws up to date unless someone can figure out how it'll benefit the Unions. Then and only then will it get a blessing from the White House as right now they are too busy creating jobs.
The House and Senate have nothing to do with drunk driving laws in the states, that is for each state's government to decide.