New Trends for Intoxicated Driving
A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) has found that the proportion of drivers under the influence of alcohol has declined by 30 percent from 2007 to 2014 and has declined by 80 percent since 1973. In 2014 about 1.5 percent of weekend nighttime drivers had a BAC above the legal limit.
While this is a positive trend, drugged driving or driving has actually increased. In 2014 20.0% of drivers tested positive for at least one type of drug. In 2007 this number was about 16.3 percent. Some of this increase was due to increase marijuana use. In 2014 12.6 percent of drivers had evidence of marijuana in their systems up from 8.6 percent in 2007.
Not all is lost however, another study by the NHTSA found that drivers under the influence of alcohol were four times as likely to crash than sober drivers while drivers under the influence of marijuana were only 25 percent more likely to be involved in a crash.
Taken as a whole these studies suggest a shift in the type of intoxicated drivers to look out for should you be out an about on the weekend. Be sure to watch out for any driver that appears to be under the influence and report them to local law enforcement if it is safe to do so.
The Cunnane Law Office has provided this content for informational purposes only. You should refer your questions to a personal injury attorney.
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