Drivers impaired by things like alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal substances, and over-the-counter medications endanger lives here in Indiana and Illinois.
By White House Proclamation, December 2021 has been deemed “National Impaired Driving Prevention Month,” with two public service campaigns dedicated to combating serious and fatal motor vehicle accidents caused by impaired drivers. During this month, law enforcement, safety groups, victim advocates, various news outlets, and social media platforms will be joining in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different” national media campaigns.
From President Biden:
“Every year, thousands of lives are needlessly lost on our Nation’s roadways because of alcohol — and drug-impaired driving. These are avoidable tragedies that leave deep holes in our Nation’s families and communities. During National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to preventing impaired driving. We remember the victims and honor their memory by making the responsible decision to drive sober and ensure that others do the same.
“Driving while impaired by any substance — legal or illegal — is dangerous. Alcohol, illicit drugs, and even over-the-counter and prescription medications can impair a driver’s judgment, decrease motor coordination, and slow the reaction time necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle. Alcohol-impaired driving has led to over 10,000 deaths each year.”
What is Impaired Driving?
For many people, “impaired driving” involves the criminal act of driving drunk which is defined by law as having a blood alcohol content (i.e., mass of alcohol per volume of blood in the body) that is 0.08% or higher. See, Drunk Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois: Danger of a Fatal DUI Crash.
However, the National Library of Medicine explains impaired driving can be caused not only by the consumption of alcohol, but also from:
- Legal or illegal drugs
- Sleepiness
- Distractions, such as using a cell phone or texting
- Having a medical condition which affects your driving.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 25% of tested drivers (1 in 4) were driving impaired from at least one drug, which might involve prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or marijuana. For more, read our earlier discussions in: Impaired Driving in Indiana and Illinois: It’s More than Driving Drunk and Marijuana Accidents: Impaired Driving in Indiana and Illinois.
Anything that interferes with the physical and mental ability of a driver to operate a motor vehicle in a reasonable and prudent manner results in “impaired driving.”
U.S. Public Health Crisis: Rising Number of Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes
The federal government recently confirmed that our country is in the midst of a serious public health crisis involving the risk of death in a motor vehicle accident. See, Public Crisis Declared by DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg as Traffic Fatalities Have Largest Increase Since 1975.
Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, the likelihood of perishing on the roadways of Indiana and Illinois is higher now than it has been in almost 50 years.
For more on the current dangers of a fatal motor vehicle crash in Indiana or Illinois, read:
- Illinois’ NSC Warns: Escalating Number of Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents; and
- How Deadly are the Roads of Chicago, Illinois? Unacceptably High Risk of Traffic Deaths in the Windy City.
Impaired Driving and the Risk of Deadly Accident
Research confirms that impaired drivers cause deadly accidents. It cannot be debated that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or while fatigued, distracted, or ill, is the reason for too many people dying in a tragic crash.
Drunk driving, of course, is the most common form of impaired driving in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every 50 minutes in this country someone is killed in a motor vehicle crash involving an alcohol-impaired driver.
However, driving after ingesting drugs as well as alcohol brings with it an even darker reality on the risks of death. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (“AHAS”) reports that impaired driving is responsible for around 30% of our country’s annual motor vehicle accident fatalities each year. With the record surge in fatal crashes in 2021, AHAS is forecasting that next year’s analysis will reveal that impaired driving was the cause of an even higher number of crash deaths.
Justice for Victims of Impaired Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
Having drivers on our roads operating motor vehicles while impaired only serves to increase the danger we all face for a fatal accident in Indiana or Illinois. Here in the Crossroads of America, our roadways are filled with a huge number of commercial trucks that bring with them a greater risk of death should there be a semi-truck crash. We also have a great number of rural routes where research has shown to bring a specific risk of a deadly crash to those driving outside of our urban areas.
Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 54. Teenagers face the greatest risk of death from being drivers or occupants of a motor vehicle: accidents involving car crashes are the number one cause of death for victims under the age of 18 years old.
During this 2021 Holiday Season, we join with those voicing their concern about the dangers of impaired driving on our roadways. Responsible drivers will avoid driving impaired, heeding the following safety measures:
- Have a designated driver before going to festivities where you are likely to drink alcohol
- Decide on a taxi or ridesharing service to use if needed
- Don’t drive if you are very tired or fatigued
- Don’t drive after drinking alcohol
- Don’t drive after using marijuana in any of its forms
- Don’t drive if you are feeling ill
- Don’t drive if you have taken an over-the-counter medication that warns against operating heavy machinery.
For those who are victims of an impaired driver in Indiana or Illinois, state laws provide avenues for justice in the form of negligence; negligent supervision; product liability; and wrongful death laws. Claims for legal recompense can be advanced on behalf of the accident victim as well as their loved ones for things like bodily injury, pain and suffering, lost wages, lost earning capacity, medical costs, and funeral expenses.
For more, read:
- Drugged Drivers Cause More Fatal Crashes in Indiana than Drunk Drivers: New Indiana University Study
- Factors in Drunk Driving Fatal Car Crashes in Indiana and Illinois
- Drunk Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois: Danger of a Fatal DUI Crash
- New Federal Rule to Combat Impaired Truck Drivers By Forcing States to Pull Trucker’s CDL or CLP
- Serious Illinois Car Crashes and Marijuana Impaired Drivers
- 2021 Quest Workforce Drug Testing Report: Shocking Number of Workers Using Drugs While on the Job.
As advocates for accident victims and their families, we join with safety groups and others who are spreading the word during National Impaired Driving Prevention Month about the dangers of impaired driving and the risk we currently face of a serious or fatal motor vehicle accident here in Indiana and Illinois. Please be careful out there!
