Thirty Million Impaired Drivers Each Year Make Our Roads Hazardous

A new survey reveals that in some states more than 25% of drivers have driven after consuming alcohol, in the last year. This means more than 30 million impaired drivers on the road. What’s more, nearly one in twenty drivers across the country reported having driven under the influence of illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin or prescription drugs used nonmedically.

An earlier study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration pointed out that 29 percent of drivers 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking alcohol. The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving states that an estimated 15,827 people died in alcohol-related traffic crashes in 2002. That’s 37 percent of the total number of traffic fatalities.

These stark figures paint a very grim picture of the kind of damage drinking and driving can cause. But of course, fatalities are just one kind of damage being created. There’s also injuries and billions in medical and quality of life costs.

Problems really arise when a person is addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs and constantly drives impaired. These people not only endanger others, they are at risk of death or serious injury every day.

“When families know a son, spouse or other member has a chronic problem with alcohol or drugs, they may be saving his or her life if they find an effective rehab program,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “When a person makes a lifetime recovery in an effective rehab program like the one at Narconon, he protects his own future and the futures of adults and children he may pass on the street every day.

To read the rest of this article, please go to: Impaired Drivers. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.