12.6 

MILLION

Americans reported driving under the 

influence of marijuana or other illicit 

drugs in 2018.1

Driving while impaired is illegal in the United States. 

Impaired driving happens when someone operates a 

vehicle while impaired by a substance like marijuana, 

other illicit drugs, some prescribed or over-the-counter 

medicines, or alcohol. Polysubstance use (using more 

than one drug or using drugs and alcohol together) 

also makes driving dangerous.

WHAT WE KNOW 

Driving while impaired by any substance can be deadly.

We know a lot about alcohol’s effects on driving.*

However, we need more research to fully understand

the impacts of drug use and polysubstance use on

crash injuries and deaths. One research challenge

is distinguishing between presence of drugs and

impairment by drugs in the body.

Driving while impaired by any 

substance can be deadly.

Alcohol

Marijuana

Other Illicit Drugs

Prescription and 

Over-the-Counter Meds

* This fact sheet focuses on drug-impaired driving. For information about alcohol-impaired driving, please visit 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving.

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day.

IN THE UNITED STATES

DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING
Strategies to address alcohol-impaired driving are well known. 

Less is known about effective strategies to reduce drug- and 

polysubstance-impaired driving. See the examples below of roadside 

strategies that states are using to address drug-impaired driving. 

Short-Term High-Visibility Enforcement of Impaired Driving Laws

Short-term high-visibility enforcement (HVE) of impaired driving laws involves 

a brief period of increased police efforts, including sobriety checkpoints or 

saturation patrols (an increased number of officers patrolling a specific area). 

An effective HVE approach combines law enforcement with paid and earned 

media to increase awareness of the effort.2

Drug Recognition Experts

Drug recognition experts (DREs) are law enforcement officers trained to identify 

drug-impaired driving using a 12-step, standardized evaluation that includes 

behavioral tests and physical assessments.4

The DRE evaluation includes breath alcohol testing, eye exams, muscle tone exams, 

tests such as the One Leg Stand, and other behavioral and physical observations.4,5

Blood or urine samples are collected and analyzed if there is sufficient evidence 

that a driver is impaired by a drug other than or in addition to alcohol.4

NEXT STEPS FOR ADDRESSING 

DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING

Actions that could advance 

understanding of drug and 

polysubstance-impaired driving and 

assist states and communities with 

prevention efforts include:

• development, evaluation, and 

further implementation of 

strategies to prevent alcohol, 

drug, and polysubstanceimpaired driving.

• standardized testing for alcohol 

and drugs among impaired 

drivers and drivers involved in 

fatal crashes. Adequate resources 

for toxicology laboratories are 

required for such testing.

REFERENCES

1. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2019). 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD.

2. Richard, C. M., Magee, K., Bacon-Abdelmoteleb, P., & Brown, J. L. (2018, April). Countermeasures that work: A highway safety countermeasure guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Ninth edition (Report No. DOT HS 812 478), 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/812478_countermeasures-that-work-a-highway-safety-countermeasures-guide-.pdf. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (2020, February). Alcohol and drugs. Retrieved from https://www.iihs.org/topics/alcohol-and-drugs.

4. Hedlund, J. (2017, April). Drug-Impaired Driving: A guide for what states can do (Rep.). 

Retrieved from https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2016-11/Drug-Impaired%20Driving-%20A%20Guide%20For%20What%20States%20Can%20Do-Interactive.pdf.

5. International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2019). The 12-Step DRE Protocol. Retrieved from https://www.theiacp.org/12-step-process.

6. International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2020). IACP Drug Evaluation & Classification Program: 2019 Annual Report (Rep.). 

Retrieved from https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/2019%20DECP%20Annual%20Report.pdf.

For more information about impaired driving, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving.

December 2020

Promising Strategies to Help Address Drug-Impaired Driving

By the 

Numbers

Publicized sobriety checkpoints are 

authorized in 38 states and Washington, D.C., 

as of February 2020.2, 3

As of December 2019, there were 9,878 

certified DREs active throughout all 50 states 

and Washington, D.C. In 2019, states reported 

49,905 DRE evaluations. By the 6

Numbers