it's good to be the kennedy...
Posted on 07/11/2018 8:16:15 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the dangers of drug-impaired driving.
There is growing concern in Congress over the issue as data from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility finds that accidents from drugged driving have been on the rise over the last 10 years.
A recent report showed that 44 percent of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs in 2016. That number is up from 2006, when just 28-percent of fatally injured drivers were drug-positive.
But lawmakers also pressed for more information about the problem.
While the trend appears to be alarming, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) raised questions the statistics from the GHSA and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.
“While this statistic, of course, raises concern, I have questions and concerns about the methodology and accuracy of this statement,” Schakowsky said.
She pointed out that there is no nationally accepted way of testing the drug impairment level of drivers.
“Alcohol continues to cause more deaths than drugs,” Schakowsky said.
Colleen Sheehy-Church, the President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), who testified at the hearing, agreed.
“The truth is that we do not know how many people are killed each year due to drug-impaired driving,” said Sheehy-Church, whose son was killed by a driver who was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs.
MADD, founded in 1980, advocates against drunk driving. The group says focusing on that problem will also help reduce drug-impaired driving.
Lawmakers and experts also debated the impact of marijuana legalization on the issue. Recreational marijuana is now legal in nine states.
“With the prevalence of marijuana legalization — recreation and medicinal — it is critical that more work be done to understand impairment," Sheehy-Church.
"We agree with the recent AAA [American Automobile Association] study, which states, a .08 [blood alcohol content] equivalent may not be possible with marijuana. But we still must better understand how marijuana impairment influences driving behaviors,” she added.
ETC...
I’ll tell ya’, you haven’t lived until you’ve operated a 16,000 pound Backhoe after three martinis and two Ambiens.
And it cures *everything*.
/except stupidity
” but how can you tell if someone is baked? “
Give them a giant bag of Cheetos.
Smart phone drugged driving.
IIRC, not one single state has established a legal level for THC in drivers. But pot legalization marches on.
it's good to be the kennedy...
Pot Fuels Surge in Drugged Driving Deaths
As medical marijuana sales expanded into 20 states, legal weed was detected in the bodies of dead drivers three times more often during 2010 when compared to those who died behind the wheel in 1999...
From 2014.
Elmira man charged with DWAI for double fatal motorcycle accident
18 YO, and he's killed two people.
No test that can be done out on the road that I know of. But in an office, yes. I’m not a lawyer and would guess that some level of suspicion would be needed. Maybe a failed field sobriety test? (re. “touch your nose...” etc.) or someone driving 15 mph in a 70 and babbling nonsense during a car stop? It’s been done, though, and much. CO’s been raking in some revenues.
Drugged driving among lawmakers?
Everything You Need to Know About Marijuana Blood Tests
"Too stoned to drive"
SNORT.
....source....
Seen At 11: Loophole Allows Motorists To Drive High In New York State — Legally
There are quite a few prescribed non-controlled drugs that are sedating used for pain, neurological conditions that are sedating.
I know some police have used techniques such as trying to detect for nystagmus (involuntary eye movement while tracking an object) as justification for impaired driving. However, this really cannot be admissible evidence even if the officer is trained unless it is recorded. Improvements in recording techniques should make this possible.
The best thing to do is record the interaction on a traffic stop and let the jury decide (with consultation from experts) as to whether the driver was impaired.
We simply cannot trust, as sole or primary evidence, the witness and testimony of police officers.
Kennedy = get out of jail free.
I too would question this statistic. Pot remains detectable in your system for about 30 days, far beyond any intoxication from same. That’s going to skew everything into meaninglessness.
Which is why I wouldn’t have a problem with zero tolerance. Want to drive? Don’t use it. Ditto for booze.
They knew, chose to ignore it. Just like they are Ignoring the Suicides of Chronic Pain Patients.
What the GHSA says (https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/GHSA_DruggedDriving2017_FINAL_revised.pdf:
| Risk level | Relative risk | Drug category |
| Slightly increased risk | 1-3 | marijuana |
| Medium increased risk | 2-10 | benzodiazepines, cocaine, opioid |
| Highly increased risk | 5-30 | amphetamines, multiple drugs |
| Extremely increased risk | 20-200 | alcohol together with drugs |
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