Every year, people in Tennessee are injured and killed by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Drunk driving crashes can be devastating for victims and their families. However, until now not much attention has been given to accidents involving drugged drivers. A new study has not only looked at accident fatalities involving drugs but has come to some controversial conclusions.
According to CBS News, a recent report has found that of drivers involved in fatal crashes, 37 percent tested positive for alcohol, while 43 percent tested positive for drugs. Of the drugs found, marijuana was the most popular, followed by amphetamines.
While drug abuse is an important issue facing many communities, some are quick to point out the flaws of this study. Drug testing is not universally administered, nor were concentrations of the drugs taken into account. There is currently no equivalent test for drugs that compares to the testing conducted by law enforcement to determine a driver’s blood alcohol content.
In addition, some feel that the report’s conclusion may take away from the extremely important cause of preventing drunk driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving points out that just because drugs were found to be in a person’s system at the time of a crash, it does not mean that the person was impaired by them. For instance, alcohol may be in a person’s system if he or she had one drink but that does not mean that the person’s ability to drive was impaired. Plus, since the testing for alcohol versus drugs is completely different, a direct comparison cannot be made.