What is Impaired Driving?

Impaired driving is operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, legal or illegal drugs.

Alcohol-impaired driving

Alcohol has a significant effect on driving skills due to its depressant effects. While under the influence of alcohol, drivers can misjudge their capabilities and experience the following:

• Decreased reaction time due to slower reflexes
• ...

In an average year, 30 million Americans drive drunk, and 10 million Americans drive impaired by illicit drugs. A 2010 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 13.2 percent of all people aged 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol and 4.3 percent drove under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year. ...

Drugs can impair your ability to drive safely and increase the risk of getting into a collision. In fact, cannabis increases your chance of a car accident. The percentage of Canadian drivers killed in vehicle crashes who test positive for drugs (40%) now actually exceeds the numbers who test positive for alcohol (33%). Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death and injury in...

Information taken from CDC.gov

Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This is one death every 50 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion.

About one in three traffic deaths in the United States involve a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. Drivers with...

This article is based on resources provided by Ventura County Behavioral Health.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young people aged 16 to 19. Teen drivers are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not recognize dangerous situations. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a 2011 survey of middle and high school students showed that the number of...

It's that time of year again - our days are becoming longer, the weather is warming up, and that means Spring, and St. Patrick's Day, are right around the corner. In America, St. Patrick's Day is considered one of the most popular drinking holidays of the year. It is the norm for many young adults to go out to a bar and celebrate by drinking with their friends. Unfortunately, it has also...

Written by a CSUCI student.

It’s a harrowing scene tonight, Scott. Witnesses say it was like watching a superhero movie; tragically, the villain won. Onlookers say the driver of this Chevy swerved into oncoming traffic, seemingly playing chicken with a fully loaded 72 passenger bus, and then swerved at the last moment into the river. The school bus belongs to Mariposa Elementary School,...