A national survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found that in 2007, approximately one in eight weekend, nighttime drivers tested positive for illicit drugs, and according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 10.6 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs in the past year. Even more daunting is the fact that one in three drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 tested for drugs, tested positive.
The results are not common only among adults. Among high school seniors in 2008, one in 10 reported that in the two weeks prior to their interview, they had driven a vehicle after smoking marijuana. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for 15 to 19-year-olds in 2007, and according to the 2009 NSDUH report, more than six percent of 16 or 17-year olds and nearly 17 percent of 18 to 20 year-olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year. In a comprehensive study on unsafe driving by high school students, 30 percent of seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or using drugs, or riding in a car in which the driver had been drinking heavily or using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks.
Drugged driving puts the
With the lack of experience driving, teenagers driving under the influence of any type of drug or alcohol will find themselves at more risk due to altered perception, cognition, reaction time and other faculties. Parents and other adult mentors play an important role in educating youth about the dangers of drugged driving, making communication an invaluable action.
The Unified Prevention! (UP!) Coalition for a Drug-Free Doña Ana County, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, formed in 2009 and works to establish and strengthen collaboration among the community to prevent substance abuse among young people. Funded with a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), UP! draws from a variety of sectors in the community for thorough outreach and prevention.
In an effort to provide resources for the community that encourages teens not to drive drugged, UP! has a Teen Drugged Driving: Parent, Coalition and Community Group Activity Guide provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. To learn more about the guide, with a wide variety of activities and resources for the community and teens, visit www.unifiedprevention.com or call Stephanie Armitage at (575) 521-4794.
A Community that's Aware is a Community that Cares is submitted by Charlotte Tallman, media campaign coordinator for the Unified Prevention! (UP!) Coalition for a Drug-Free Doña Ana County, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico.