Drug Impaired Driving

The National Safety Council (NSC) launched a Public Service Campaign on Drug Impaired Driving at its Annual Congress & Expo on September 14, 2004 in New Orleans. The campaign includes radio and print public service announcements (PSAs) to educate consumers about the dangers of driving while impaired by many common prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as some antihistamines and anti-anxiety medications. The Q&A below may help to answer your questions about drug impaired driving and what you can do to prevent it including talking to a doctor or pharmacist about the potential side-effects of any medication you're taking.

What does impairment mean?

The effects of impairment vary from person to person. In general, impairment can be defined as changes in a person's ability to perform routine daily tasks at the normal level of functioning. Symptoms may include drowsiness or excitability, altered depth perception, or slowed or increased reaction time. Impairment affects your ability to drive, among other things, but these changes can often be difficult to identify. In fact, you could be drug impaired and not even know it.

What causes impairment?

You probably know that driving while impaired is a leading cause of car accidents, but what you may not know is that alcohol and illegal drugs are not the only culprits. Impairment can also be caused by many common prescription and over-the-counter medications. These medications, like some antihistamines, used to treat allergies, and anti-anxiety medications for example, may affect driving skills by inducing drowsiness or excitability or by altering reaction times. Other impairing medications include some cold and cough medications, sleeping pills and painkillers.

How can I tell if I am impaired by a medicine or other drug?

Signs and symptoms of impairment may include:

• Drowsiness
• Excitability
• Altered reaction times
• Altered depth perception

How can I avoid driving impaired?

You can protect yourself and others on the road with these easy tips:

• Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn the side effects of any medications you're taking
• Carefully read the directions and warning labels of any medications you're taking
• Ask your healthcare provider about non-impairing alternatives
• Never take more than the recommended dose
• Don't mix medications without checking with your healthcare provider or pharmacist first
• Don't mix alcohol with your medication
• Make sure you know the signs and symptoms of drug impairment before you get behind the wheel

Why is the National Safety Council doing a Public Service Campaign on drug impaired driving?

More than 43,000 Americans are killed in traffic accidents every year. However, some of these accidents might have been prevented if people were aware of the dangers of impaired driving caused by many common prescription and over-the-counter drugs. That is why the NSC has developed a national public service campaign to increase awareness of drug impaired driving, an under recognized and under reported problem. The campaign encourages people to take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from the dangers of drug impaired driving. It includes both radio and print public service announcements (PSAs) that provide tips for avoiding drug impaired driving. Through this campaign, the NSC hopes to increase awareness of this important issue and alert drivers to the dangers of driving while impaired.

How prevalent is drug impaired driving?

While there is currently no database in place to track the incidence of accidents caused by drug impaired driving, NSC statistics show that traffic accidents lead to more than 43,000 fatalities in the U.S. each year. The NSC hopes to work toward decreasing the number of people killed in car accidents each year by raising awareness of the dangers of drug impaired driving.

How is drug impaired driving identified by law enforcement?

Currently, 37 states and Washington, D.C. have laws against drug impaired driving. Within each of these states there are specially trained police officers call Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) who are part of the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program, a transportation safety program focusing on the detection and apprehension of drug impaired drivers. The DEC Program is managed and coordinated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

States with either zero tolerance and/or DEC/DRE drug impaired driving laws are:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Washington
• And Washington, D.C.

How can I take action?

If you're taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist about non-impairing alternatives. Remember, each of us has a personal responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe on the roads.