At present, drivers who have illegal BACs
At present, drivers who have illegal BACs are typically not drug tested...
are typically not drug tested, even in jurisdic- tions in which drivers with BACs under 0.08 g/dL BAC are tested for drugs; this must change. Te additional drug testing of these per se alcohol-impaired drivers will demonstrate the common overlap of alcohol and drug use and further support the use of ALR and per se drugged driving laws. Te goal is to drug test all drivers arrested for impairment in parallel with the alcohol testing currently done. Tis means that both alcohol testing and drug testing of drivers would be conducted for the 1.4 million impaired driving arrests made each year. In addition, drug testing must become
routine for all drivers involved in serious or fatal crashes and for drivers when there is a suspicion of recent drug use (e.g., when drugs or drug paraphernalia is found in a driver’s car). Te successful use of drug testing, i.e. fast, cost-effective and compat- ible with current law enforcement practices dealing with alcohol, will dramatically change the drug testing industry while improving detection and enforcement of drugged driving and improving public safety. Te more that drug testing resem- bles alcohol testing, the more readily this drug testing technology will be adopted. Resources are available to help shape the
nation’s approach to drugged driving includ- ing the following website and materials: • Office of National Drug Control Policy page on drugged driving: htp://www.
whitehouse.gov/ondcp/drugged-driving
• Drugged Driving Research: A White Paper, developed for the National Institute on Drug Abuse: htp://www.
whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ ondcp/issues-content/drugged-driving/ nida_dd_paper.pdf
• Stop Drugged Driving, an informational site that reviews the drugged driving problem, research, news and provides recommendations for drugged driving enforcement, prevention and management of offenders: htp://www.
StopDruggedDriving.org
42 datia focus
• Stop DUID, a site that tracks research and legislative activity to strengthen drugged driving laws: htp://www.
StopDUID.org
• DATIA Public Policy Statement Regarding Drugged Drivers: htp://www.
datia.org/eNews/2009/White_Paper.pdf Te field of drug testing has developed
spectacularly over the past three decades, es- tablishing itself at the cuting edge of modern biotechnology. While drug testing technol- ogy continues to advance significantly, the applications of drug testing have stalled, oſten limited to traditional applications such as in drug treatment and in the workplace, where drug testing is commonly restricted to safety- sensitive jobs and pre-employment screening. One of the most promising and least
developed applications of drug testing is in highway traffic safety, where there is an opportunity for the drug testing market to double from its current level within the next few years. Tis growth can only be achieved if the hurdles now limiting drug testing in highway traffic safety can be over- come. Te biggest hurdle is the search for a 0.08 g/dL BAC equivalent for drugs as a precondition to widespread drug testing. Tis article exposes the folly of that search. It points the way forward for the drug testing industry to make important new contributions to the nation’s public safety and public health by focusing on highway traffic safety with demonstration projects and with effective public education. ❚
Footnotes 1
Hingson, R. W., Herren, T., & Winter, M. R., (1999). Preventing impaired driving. Alcohol Research & Health, 23(1), 31-39. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/ publications/arh23-1/31-39.pdf
2
Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2011). Crime in the United States 2010. Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, DC: FBI. Retrieved November 19, 2012 from:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/ crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl29.xls
3
Bergen, G., Shults, R. A., & Rudd, R. A. (2011, October 4). Vital Signs: Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults—United States, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 60(39), 1351-1356. Retrieved November 19, 2012 from: http://www.
cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6039a4.htm
4
Paulozzi, L., Baldwin, G., Franklin, G., Kerlikowske, R. G., Jones, C. M., Ghiya, N., & Popovic, T. (2012, January 13). CDC Grand Rounds: Prescription drug overdoses—a U.S.
winter 2013
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