There’s A ‘Continuing Problem’ Of Multi-Drug Use Among Drivers

Alcohol-impaired driving is involved in nearly one in three traffic fatalities, and the problem of being behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs – alone or in combination – continues to create harm on the country’s roads.

To address the continuing obstacle, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) undertook a study, officially released earlier this month, ​​​​​​​​that examined the crash risk associated with different drugs — including alcohol, cannabis, prescription, over-the-counter and other drugs — and the prevalence of their use among drivers.

“Impaired driving leads to tragedy every day on our nation’s roads, but it doesn’t have to,” Jennifer Homendy, the federal safety agency’s chair, said in a statement. “To create a truly safe system — one where impaired driving is a relic of the past — states and federal agencies must implement our recommendations, and fast. Further complacency is inexcusable.”

“Alcohol, Other Drug, and Multiple Drug Use Among Drivers” aims to identify actions needed from federal and state agencies to address the growing problem of impaired driving, including from alcohol, cannabis and multiple drug use. The report also discusses countermeasures to reduce impairment-related crashes.

During the analysis, researchers found alcohol remains the most commonly detected drug in impaired driving incidents, followed by cannabis. They also found that while alcohol is most often detected alone, cannabis was most often identified in combination with alcohol or other drugs.

The report said that current testing practices and protocols need to be improved to ensure more accurate detection and reporting of incidents when drivers use drugs when behind the wheel. Many jurisdictions, for example, stop testing when a driver’s blood alcohol concentration is over a certain threshold, which can result in the loss of important information about other drugs the driver may have used.

Improving the uniformity of drug testing is also essential, according to the report. A lack of standardized drug testing and reporting, “hinders understanding of the issue and the development of policies that can reduce impaired driving, as well as treatment options for those with substance abuse disorders.”

The NTSB identified the following safety needs aimed at preventing crashes caused by impaired drivers:

• implement proven countermeasures for alcohol-impaired driving;
• address the growing problems of cannabis-, other drug-, and multiple-drug-impaired driving;
• improve drug-impaired driving laws and enforcement;
• ensure that driving safety is considered in the evaluation of prescription and over-the-counter drugs; and
• enhance systems for documenting and tracking the incidence of drug use and driving.

The report also issued 12 new recommendations:

• ​a requirement that cannabis products have a warning label about driving impairment;
• enhancements to state drug-impaired driving laws;
• standardization of toxicology testing for the detection of drug use; and
• research on how to improve compliance with driving-related warnings on potentially impairing prescription and over-the-counter drugs

“We’ve long known about the devastating impact of alcohol-impaired driving, but this report shows that impairment from other drugs, especially cannabis, is a growing concern that needs to be addressed,” Tom Chapman, a NTSB member, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, January 31, the NTSB will host a webinar based on the findings of the report. To read the full report, click here. For more information about the National Transportation Safety Board, click here.