DRIVING WHILE DRUGGED

TERRIBLE news about the consequences of drunken driving surrounds us. We
hear all the time about people killed by a drunken driver whose car spun out
of control, jumped a median or careened into another car going the same
direction. In 2001, crashes involving alcohol killed 17,448 people, which
represented 41 percent of all people killed in traffic accidents that year,
according to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

It's not as easy to find statistics about crashes involving drivers who were
using drugs other than alcohol. The issue hasn't gotten as much attention as
drunken driving. Drugged drivers aren't detected, prosecuted or treated as
often as drunken drivers, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Substance
Abuse Policy Research Program.

States are inconsistent in their laws that define drugged drivers, test them
for drugs and arrest and prosecute them, the program found in an analysis of
drug laws in all 50 states.

Millions of Americans drive under the influence of drugs, often with little
or no alcohol, said Michael Walsh, lead author of the analysis. If drugged
driving laws "were consistent and easier to apply," he said, "we could
identify these individuals and get them into treatment before they become a
serious threat to public safety."

Greater consistency in drug laws doesn't require another federal
bureaucracy, but the substance abuse research program makes a good point in
calling for states to pay closer attention to this issue. There are 12
million drug users over age 18 in the United States. Most of them are
licensed drivers, and some of them are driving while taking drugs.

States ought to be aware of the complex issues surrounding the arrests,
prosecutions or sentences of drugged drivers in order to ensure that they
stay off the roads.