How dangerous is driving while intoxicated?

Intoxicating driving can be defined as driving when a drug "renders the driver incapable of driving safely" or "causes the driver to be impaired”. The effects of specific drug abuse differ depending on their mechanisms of action, the amount consumed, the history of the user, and other factors.

Why Intoxicated Driving is dangerous?

The primary concern regarding intoxicated driving is that driving under the influence of any drug that acts on the brain could impair one's judgment, reaction time, and motor skills. Intoxicated driving is a public health concern because it puts not only the driver at risk, but also passengers and others who share the road.

How dangerous is driving while intoxicated?

A number of studies have examined illicit drug use in drivers involved in motor fatal accidents, reckless driving, or vehicle crashes. For example,

• According to NHTSA 2006 report, during 2005, 16,885 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 39% of all traffic-related deaths.

• For every 31 minutes someone is killed with alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and nonfatally hurts someone every 2 minutes.

• According to National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project 58% of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2006 involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or above.

• Studies conducted in several localities have found that approximately 4 to 14 percent of drivers who sustained injury or died in traffic accidents tested positive for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana.

• One study found that about 34% of motor vehicle crash victims admitted to a Maryland trauma center tested positive for “drugs only”. About 16% tested positive for “alcohol only”.

• According to 2006 NHTSA data, more than half of the 414 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 were riding with the drinking driver.

Intoxicated Driving must be closely monitored and strictly punished. People should voluntarily take the responsibility of safe driving. Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is completely preventable. Drunk driving, like most other social problems, resists simple solutions. Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically effects many victims annually.

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