Although Kansas' effort to prevent drug-impaired driving is admirable, the method the state is using to detect it is flawed. SoToxa, Abbott's hand-held analytical device can rapidly detect and identify common drugs in saliva but gives no information about the amount of drug present. I predict this will cause all kinds of problems
impaired driving
There is some truth to the urban myth that those high on marijuana tend to drive more slowly and at greater distances from other cars. Whether out of an old-time fear of being pulled over or because of some impairment of their perceptions. [1] With eighteen states (and the District of Columbia) with recreational pot sales, and an inability to determine the presence of marijuana as an intoxicant, as we do for alcohol, there is rising concern about marijuana’s impact on traffic accidents and fatalities. Here is the latest data.
A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% while driving is considered impaired, and it's associated with an increase in motor vehicle accidents. But what about a “quick pop”? You know, being buzzed? How does that figure into the thinking? A new study sifts through the data.
A recent bus crash reminds us that all episodes of impaired driving are not due to overdose.
Citing prescription drugs as a contributing factor to his recent DUI arrest, Tiger Woods' experience sheds light on the need to educate about impaired driving as a public health concern. The American Automobile Association (AAA) reports "prescription drugs are the most prevalent of all drugs found in drugged drivers involved in fatal crashes." Whether legally or illegally obtained, substances can impair a driver.