{"id":7080,"date":"2017-05-02T21:37:22","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T21:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/?p=7080"},"modified":"2022-06-28T11:03:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T11:03:06","slug":"drugged-driving-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/drugged-driving-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Drugged Driving Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, the Governors Highway Safety Association released\u00a0an update to its 2015 report on drug-impaired driving<\/a>. As a result, some media coverage of the report has suggested that drugged driving has overtaken drunk driving in terms of traffic fatalities. This interpretation of the data included in the report is incorrect and has the potential to harm MADD\u2019s efforts to strengthen drunk driving laws.<\/p>\n

There is no doubt that drugged driving \u2014 meaning drugs other than alcohol \u2014 is a serious problem. In 2015 MADD expanded our mission to include drug-impaired driving, with a commitment to continue serving victims of both drunk and drugged driving. We know that all victims of impaired driving endure the same devastating consequences, and MADD will always be there to support victims of this 100 percent preventable crime.<\/p>\n

In addition, MADD advocates for policies based on research and science to help prevent alcohol and drug-impaired driving. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to make sure all data is presented accurately. MADD\u2019s main concern with the report is how the data is being interpreted,\u00a0as covered in a recent article in The Washington Post<\/a>. The GHSA report announced that drugs were found in 43 percent of drivers tested in fatal crashes vs. 37 percent in alcohol involved crashes, leading to headlines like this one from CNN: \u201cDrugged driving surpasses drunken driving among drivers killed in crashes, report finds.\u201d The problem is this isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n

HERE\u2019S WHY:<\/h4>\n