When you hear the acronym “DUI” it is perfectly natural for your mind to immediately think of drunk driving, as if DUIs are only for people who drive under the influence of alcohol. However, drugged driving is a major problem in our society, and receiving a DUID carries many of the same penalties and consequences that a drunk driving charge carries.
According to data from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly 3.8 percent of teens and adults over the age of 12 have admitted to driving while under the influence of drugs in the last year. That figure is lower than the 2012 edition of the survey.
Amazingly, statistics and figures for drugged driving are fairly hard to come by. This is due to the nature of drugged driving: the roadside testing for such a crime is inadequate, and many drugged driving cases may also involve alcohol use, which often leaves the police with enough evidence to charge the person with a DUI.
With that said though, this is an important issue — not just from a safety perspective, but for the people accused of DUID too. In some cases, people are using legal drugs in their intended amount to help out with a cold or sickness; or maybe they took a bit too much not out of intent, but just by mistake. And these people could face the severe consequences that such a charge carries. It is imperative to fight these charges because the consequences are far too severe to just let them happen.
Source: NIH, “DrugFacts: Drugged Driving,” Accessed May 2015