Drivers On Drugs

[ReconRat]

This is why motorcycles ride sober.

And one reason why the roadways are dangerous for us.

 

Drugged Driving Plays Major Role in Traffic Deaths

 

...They found that nearly 32 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes and about 14 percent of "control" drivers in the roadside surveys tested positive for at least one drug.

Overall, drivers who tested positive for drugs were three times more likely than those who tested negative to be involved in a lethal crash. Depressants were associated with the highest risk of a fatal crash, followed by stimulants, narcotics and marijuana, among the drugs that were studied.

Elevated blood alcohol levels were found in about 9 percent of the drivers in the roadside surveys and in 57 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes...

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/09/27/drugged-driving--plays-major-role-in-traffic-deaths

 

Also:

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/9771/20130927/scientists-discover-drug-positive-drivers-triple-risk-fatal-car-crashes.htm

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/09/27/Drugged-drivers-have-increased-risk-of-automobile-crashes/UPI-36371380325431/?spt=hs∨=hn

Edited September 28, 2013 by ReconRat

[ReconRat]

I mean think about it. It says one in 7 drivers has drugs in their system, and one in 10 has alcohol.

[Casper]

We should make driving inebriated against the law so this stuff doesn't happen.

This. Where are the laws to protect us!?

[gixxie750]

Um we should all realize that most people are on drugs now.  There is a drug for every problem. People all suck at driving and that kills most of the people!  Drugs are not bad people are!

[Connie14]

There you go with that personal responsibility BS. Bring on the nanny state. I wonder how much the gubment invested in this study.

[ReconRat]

Here's the source of the data analysis:

http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/drugs-and-driving-fatal-mix

 

And the original goverment survey data:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Research+&+Evaluation/2007+National+Roadside+Survey+of+Alcohol+and+Drug+Use+by+Drivers

(pdf)2007 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers

 

The NHTSA spend 4 million on research for "drug impaired driving" in 2013. (Budget)

Out of 150 million used for research and development.

Contrasted to an estimate of 50 billion per year in resultant costs and damages of crashes and injuries.

[Scruit]

New law:  If you injure someone while driving drunk, on illegal drugs, or on prescription/OTC medications that tell you not to drive, then you get 40 years in jail and must server every day of those 40 years.

 

However, as I am a lenient kind of guy, I'll let you buy your freedom back, but it's cost you an arm and a leg.   No, I mean it.  You get 10 years off your sentence for every limb you let us amputate.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, more realistically....

 

A fatality or severe injury caused while drunk, on illegal drugs or driving on medications that advise against driving (assuming the impairment is the proximate cause of the crash) should net you enough jail time that nobody would ever do it.   If the OMVI driver is not at fault in the crash then they are processed as if they were simply pulled over. 

 

How about:

 

 - Automatic year in jail to start with:

 - Add one year of jail for every day, or part of a day, the victim is in the hospital until they are released alive up to a maximum of 10 years.

 - Multiple victims add up, so two victims in the hospital for 1 day each = 2 years.

 - If any victim dies then you get life in prison as they were never released alive.

 - If any victim suffers temporary disablement (defined as not being able to continue working in the job they were working in, or no longer drive a vehicle identical to the one they were driving at the time of the accident) then you get one additional year for every month they are disabled. 

 - If they are permanently disabled then you get 10 years.

 - They they die you get life.

 - If you hit/run and there was an injury you get life regardless of how minor the injury was.

 

 

Examples:

 

- OMVI pulls out in front of a bike.  Rider goes down, but does not go the hospital.  Driver gets automatic one year in jail.

- OMVI sidewipes a bike, rider spends 2 days in hospital.  Is able to return to riding immediately.  Driver gets automatic one year, plus 2 years for the hospital stay = 3 years.

- OMVI driver rear-ends a bike.  Rider spends on week in hospital, 4 months recover before he can ride again.  Automatic 1 year, plus 7 years for the hospital stay, plus 4 years for the recovery = 12 years.

- OMVI driver t-bones a rider. Rider loses leg.   Driver gets automatic 1 year + 10 years.

- OMVI driver hits and kills rider.   Driver gets automatic 1 year + life.

- OMVI driver runs from an accident he caused = Life.

[porschefan]

I don't think stiffer penalties will cause people to behave differently. Consider HIV / AIDS. Having unprotected sex can get you killed. But that doesn't stop people from doing what feels good at the moment.

[smashweights]

Stiff laws will only lead to more "my poor mom just had one beer with dinner and now has to spend 40 years in jail or get limbs amputated" stories, not less traffic fatalities.  No one ever thinks THEY are too intoxicated to drive and not enough people want to DD or call a cab.  The people who hand over the keys or take a DD with them are doing out of feelings of personal responsibility, not fear of prison time and that will likely continue to be the case.  Don't get me wrong, my personal sense of justice says a DUI that kills another person ought to be fucked over for life because I think we take loss of someone's life WAY TOO lightly in this country.  However, IMO, our best defense is ride defensive as hell, practice situational awareness, and pretend every car on the road is going to try to kill you whenever you get near it and every time you go through an intersection.

Edited September 29, 2013 by smashweights

[ReconRat]

Call it in. Give plate number and direction of travel. Primary characteristic (that patrols look for) of a drunk driver is either inability to maintain road speed, or inability to maintain the lane. Doing both is blind drunk or medical emergency.

 

the old number was 1-800-GRABDUI

 

the new number is #677 - Dialing this phone number on your cellular phone will connect you with the closest patrol post in the area in which you are traveling through, and will dispatch an Ohio State Trooper to render assistance.

Edited September 29, 2013 by ReconRat

[ohiomike]

Driving under the influence of anything that impairs driving is a time bomb waiting to go off.  I would also classify texting, and nearly as bad, using a cell phone (unless you have hands free technology) to be lumped in with severe punishments if you violate any of them.  But what good will it do?  Leo's already miss court dates because they are so busy with 'more important' crimes or because their dept cannot afford the OT for such trivial offenses.  Lawyers find every loophole there is to get their guilty party off the hook too.  And there are plenty.

 

So many people are on prescription drugs, that probably makes up alot of it, maybe most.  But I'm sure in the real world drunk drivers do the most damage yet they get off most of the time.