Driving under the influence (DUI) is a crime in Indiana as well as the rest of the country because it is notoriously dangerous. Impaired drivers cause serious motor vehicle accidents and fatal crashes. Alcohol and drunk driving has been the traditional cause for these driver-impaired collisions. Today, drunk drivers are still a big problem in the Hoosier State.
However, a new study from the Indiana University Public Policy Institute and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute reveals that drivers under the influence of drugs, not alcohol, have statistically surpassed drunk drivers as the cause of impairment-related fatal motor vehicle crashes in Indiana.
This is an Indiana-specific study. The researchers collected data from the Indiana State Police Automated Reporting Information Exchange System (ARIES). Information was provided from test results of drivers tested by police at Indiana crash sites, with the data current through March 18, 2019. Read the study here.
The data was obtained as a result of an Indiana statute that mandates Indiana law enforcement administer tests (e.g., breathalyzers, etc.) to any driver when there has been a crash where someone has died or been seriously injured. However, going into the analysis, it is understood that these numbers will be low. Why? Not all drivers are tested. In 2018, IU found that less than half of the drivers who had died in the crash had been tested for impairment. Even with these incomplete results, the 2019 Indiana University study is shocking and worrisome.
Drugged Drivers More Dangerous Than Drunk Drivers in the Hoosier State
According to IU, in fatal crashes where drivers died in the accident, 45% of the deceased drivers were impaired with some type of drugs. Of those who survived the crash, 35.3% were impaired with drugs.
Compare this to drivers who tested as alcohol-impaired after the collision: police found 38.4% of the deceased drivers to have been driving drunk and only 9.1% of the drivers tested who survived the crash to have been alcohol-impaired.
Drugged drivers who died in the crash (45%) exceeded drunk drivers who perished in the collision (38.4%) by 6.6%. Drugged drivers who survived the accident (35.3%) exceeded alcohol-impaired drivers who survived the crash (9.1%) by 26.2%.
And again, these numbers are low. Almost half of the drivers in fatal motor vehicle accidents in the State of Indiana were not considered in this study. The data used by the Indiana University researchers was limited to those tests performed by Indiana law enforcement after a crash. IU found that a tremendous number of the drivers in fatal motor vehicle crashes did not have impairment tests available for study by the researchers. “Less than 30 percent of those had BAC test results in the ARIES database (calculated from Table 2).” – Study, page 7.
Is This a Trend for Indiana: Drugs Over Booze in Fatal Driver-Impaired Crashes? Yes.
From the 2019 IU Study, we also know that there is a trend in Indiana for more impaired drivers to be under the influence of drugs rather than alcohol. From 2014 to 2018, the percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers fell from 40.5% to 38.4% while drug-impaired drivers involved in fatal Indiana collisions rose from 43.2% to 45.2%. Study, page 3 (Table 2).
The good news is less drunk-driving fatalities are being reported in the State of Indiana. The bad news is that the number of drug-impaired deaths in Indiana motor vehicle accidents is rising.
Seeking Justice in Drugged Driving Crashes: Defining Driving Impaired by Drugs in Indiana
Determining the cause of a fatal crash is vital for those seeking justice in the aftermath of the accident. Impairment is a lynchpin in a claim for personal injury and/or wrongful death damages after this type of crash. If there has been a police analysis of impairment, this is beneficial. However, the police data cannot be relied upon without confirmation and further considerations of the causes of the accident.
Drunk Driving vs Drugged Driving
For instance, in drunk driving accidents, the drunk driver may be liable along with those who supplied the alcoholic beverages. The incident must be investigated for factors that include things like the driver’s past history of drinking; his or her activities on the day of the accident; whether or not the driver had a record for driving drunk; and more.
In drugged driver fatalities, things are much more complicated. First of all, many different types of drugs can cause impairment. Some of these drugs are legal: serious drugged driver impairment can result from over-the-counter flu medications (as well as other pharmacy drugs that warn not to drive heavy equipment while using them).
There can be prescription drugs legally obtained by the driver as prescribed by his doctor which can cause impairment. Sometimes, it is not the drug itself but its reaction to other drugs (or even foods) that can impair the driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle.
Additionally, there can be illegal drugs, or street drugs, that can result in fatal crashes where the driver is significantly impaired in his or her driving ability. Here in Indiana, a major concern must be marijuana.
Marijuana is not legal in Indiana. (Indiana is a “zero tolerance state”.) However, recreational marijuana laws have changed in Illinois. For details, read: Recreational Marijuana is Legal in Illinois: The Rising Danger of a Drugged Driving Crash.
Will drivers legally purchase marijuana in Illinois, and drive across the state line to then use marijuana illegally in Indiana, perhaps with fatal consequences?
For more on drugged driving in Indiana and Illinois, see:
- Dangers of Drug-Impaired Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois;
- Developments in Fight against Drugged Driving Accidents;
- Drugged Driver Accidents: December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.
Drug-impaired driving is a serious danger here in Indiana. Drugged driving is on the rise in the Hoosier State, causing more fatal crashes than drunk drivers. Please be careful out there!
