Awareness of a certain issue can usually lead to improvement of the issue, and recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted two studies that highlight the effects of MADD’s efforts against drunk driving. Over the course of MADD’s (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) mission, they have continually sought ways to diminish drunk driving around the country, and now, with the help of their efforts, the nation has shown improvement. Yet, drugged driving never seems to be taken as seriously as drunk driving, and now it has become a more prominent problem as studies have shown.
Key Findings of a Recent Study:
- Alcohol poses the greatest crash risk on the road. A two-year crash causation study in Virginia Beach found that drivers impaired by alcohol at a .08 BAC were 400 percent more likely or 4 times more likely, to be in a crash.
- The Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers found that the number of drivers with alcohol in their system has declined by nearly one-third since 2007, and there has been an 80 percent reduction since the first Roadside Survey in 1973.
- The presence of marijuana in drivers has risen in recent years. In the 2014, 13 percent of nighttime weekend drivers tested positive for THC,the active ingredient in marijuana, versus 8 percent for alcohol. This is a virtual switch since the last Roadside Survey done in 2007.
These findings illustrate the great work that has been done over the last several years to eliminate drunk driving, and the increased dangers of drugged driving. The types of rules and regulations surrounding drunk driving are very similar to drugged driving, and it’s imperative for MADD to stop both from influencing lives. Hopefully, as more studies are conducted about drugged driving, more people will become aware of its dangers. With the great work that MADD has already done, it will certainly only be a matter of time before they can eradicate some of the ignorance around drugged driving and continue making strides to keep the roads safe.
Source: madd.org
