WORKING TO GET DRUGGED DRIVERS 

OFF THE ROAD 

Americans are all-too familiar with the terrible consequences of drunk driving. We also are 

becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of driving with distractions such as text messaging 

or talking on a cell phone. Working with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other 

Federal agencies, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is taking steps to 

highlight the growing problem of drugged driving. 

Drugged driving poses threats to public safety, as evidenced by the number of fatal crashes each 

year on our Nation’s highways. Law enforcement officials see the tragedies that too often result 

when people take drugs and drive. 

Fortunately, trained Drug Recognition 

Experts can help to identify drugged drivers, 

hold them accountable, and get them off the 

road and into treatment. 

It is well known that drugs, even those 

prescribed by a physician, can impair 

perception, judgment, motor skills, and 

memory. Recent surveys have shown how 

pervasive drugged driving has become in the 

United States. 

The National Roadside Survey of Alcohol 

and Drug Use by Drivers, a nationally representative survey by the National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), found that in 2007, 16 percent of weekend nighttime drivers 

(roughly one in six) tested positive for licit or illicit drugs. Moreover, approximately one in ten 

high school seniors responding to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Study (MTF) reported driving 

after smoking marijuana within two weeks prior to the survey interview. 

These results highlight the scope of drugged driving in America and reinforce the importance of 

reducing all drug abuse. 

The roadside report can be found online at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Monitoring the Future is 

available online at www.monitoringthefuture.org. 

Weekend Nighttime Drivers Testing 

Positive for Drugs, by Drug Category 

Source: 2007 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by

Drivers: Drug Results, U.S. Department of Transportation, National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December 2009.

Note: “Medications” includes prescription and over‐the‐counter

drugs. Percentages are weighted. Results are based on oral fluid and

blood testing; 83.7 percent of drivers tested negative for drugs.

ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively 

leading the Nation’s effort to reduce drug use and its consequences. 

May 2010 
Addressing the Public Safety Threat 

Successful substance-abuse prevention programs, combined with public education and penalties 

for those who fail to comply with the law, will continue to receive support in the effort to reduce 

the public safety threat of drugged driving. 

These include two DOT initiatives: 

	 Over the Limit. Under Arrest – an effort to crack down on impaired driving, and 

	 The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program, which aids State and local 

jurisdictions in detecting and arresting drugged drivers. The DEC program also provides 

training to prosecutors and judges in the prosecution of drugged drivers. 

More information about these programs can be found online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. 

Federal Prevention Programs 

Other Federal programs focus on drug abuse prevention, such as the National Youth Anti-Drug 

Media Campaign, which offers free online resources to help prevent drugged, drunk, and 

distracted driving among teenagers, and the Drug Free Communities Support program, which 

helps communities identify and respond to local substance abuse problems. 

Web sites: 

 National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: http://www.mediacampaign.org/faqs.html 

 Drug Free Communities Support Program: http://www.ondcp.gov/dfc/overview.html 

Seeking Local Solutions 

Much more can be done at the State and local levels: 

	 States can explore legal responses, such as per se laws that make it illegal for individuals 

to drive with illicit drugs in their system. This not only will keep drugged drivers off the 

road, it will hold them accountable and encourage them to get treatment so they can lead 

a drug-free life. 

 Doctors can help by learning to recognize patients with substance-use problems and by 

talking to patients about such issues. 

 Parents can talk to their children about the consequences of alcohol and illicit drug use. 

 Communities can reinforce the message that alcohol and drug abuse can cause serious 

harm. 

 Individuals who abuse drugs can seek help and choose to live a drug-free life. 

ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively 

leading the Nation’s effort to reduce drug use and its consequences. 

May 2010