Today the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating all transportation accidents, unveiled its 2013 Most Wanted List. This list highlights the ten most critical transportation issues that need to be addressed to improve safety and save lives. On the list is Substance-Impaired Driving.
For the past 15 years, one-third of all highway deaths have involved an alcohol-impaired driver. But, impairment can also be caused by drugs – over-the-counter, prescription, and illegal. The testing for these drugs is not routinely conducted for vehicular crashes, fatal or otherwise.
According to the NTSB, eliminating substance-impaired driving requires a comprehensive solution. Fines and incarceration are not enough, especially for those offenders who are assessed as alcohol or drug dependent. Alternatives to incarceration, such as home detention and electronic monitoring may better suite these individuals as they seek addiction treatment. Additionally, technologies like ignition interlock and Continuous Alcohol Monitoring hold great promise in our efforts to eliminate substance-impaired driving.
