State Estimates of Drunk and Drugged Driving. The NSDUH Report for December 9, 2010

摘要

Driving under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs poses a significant threat to public safety because these substances can impair perception, cognition, attention, balance, coordination, and other brain functions necessary for safe driving. Driving while impaired has been linked to reckless driving, car crashes, and fatal accidents. A review of several studies found that between 5 and 25 percent of drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents tested positive for drugs, and 18 percent of motor vehicle driver deaths involved drugs. Furthermore, in 2008, 32 percent of all traffic-related deaths--nearly 12,000 deaths--were the result of alcohol-related crashes.