Whether it’s alcohol or any other dangerous substance, trying to drive a car or motorcycle under the influence is extremely dangerous. Sadly, it’s often other people like cyclists, pedestrians, or passengers in other cars who end up seriously injured or killed if an accident happens.
Both driving under the influence of drugs and DUIs are illegal, and yet many crashes record drivers who appear to be under the influence or “buzzed” at the time of the crash. These accidents are more likely to leave victims with severe or fatal injuries, and they can all be prevented if no one ever gets behind the wheel under the influence.
Driving under the influence has long been known as a common cause of far too many vehicle accidents and fatalities. New research, however, indicates that drug related incidents maybe on the rise. The new trend with fatal drug related accidents is now out-pacing those deadly crashes involving alcohol. As more states legalize marijuana, in conjunction with the existing opioid epidemic across the country, experts believe that there has been a major jump in the percentage of drivers who were killed while on drugs. In a new report evaluating data from 2016, alcohol was involved in nearly 40% of driver deaths, whereas 44% of drivers who were killed tested positive for drugs.
That was a jump from 2006 numbers. The evaluation of this data also shows that more than half of the drivers had marijuana, opioids or a combination of both inside their system. Police officers are also cracking down on how to catch people who may be driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both. Anyone who has been injured in an accident in which the driver of the other vehicle appears to have been under the influence of alcohol, should present this information in the accident report and to their own personal injury attorney. It can be very difficult for someone in this position to figure out how to move on with their life but the support of a dedicated attorney is extremely valuable.