Researchers with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in November that nearly 1 in 5 drivers who were killed in car wrecks in 2009 tested positive for drugs.
The study raises new concerns about people using recreational and prescription drugs while driving, though researchers cautioned that it was not clear that drugs caused the crashes and that more study is needed.
Nearly 4,000 drivers who were killed in 2009 — 18 percent of the nearly 22,000 drivers killed — tested positive for drugs. That’s up from 13 percent in 2005.
Researchers said the numbers could be higher because only about 3 in 5 drivers who were killed in car crashes were tested for drugs after the crash and testing varied from state to state. Among all the drivers who were killed in 2009 and later tested by authorities for drugs, about one-third had drugs in their systems.
The tests took into account both legal and illegal drugs, including heroin, methadone, morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, LSD, prescription drugs and inhalants. The amount of time the drug could linger in the body varied by drug type, the researchers said, so it was unclear when the drivers had used the drugs prior to the fatal crashes.
On the Net:
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
