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Monday, March 8, 2010

Impact of Drug Abuse on Driving

Drugs are not only dangerous due to their harmful health effects, but also due to their impact on the physical, mental, social and driving skills of a person. Today, many people are driving under the influence of substances. According to National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2008, about 10 million people aged 12 or above drove under the influence of illicit drugs in 2008 in America. That means about 4 percent of the population aged 12 years or older drove under the influence of the drugs.

One of the main concerns of driving under the influence of drugs is that they act on the brain and impair the person’s motor skills, reaction time, and judgment and hand eye coordination. Drugged driving not only puts the abused driver at risk, but also others who share the road along with him.

Marijuana is the commonly abused illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, or motor vehicle crash victims. Many people drive under the influence of alcohol and become victims of crashes. Alcohol abuse can be easily detected by alcohol breathalyzers. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) more than 0.08% is said to impair a person’s driving performance. So BAC concentration of 0.08% is fixed as the legal limit in America. Other drugs often used by drivers include benzodiazepines, cocaine, amphetamines and opiates.

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