Drivers under the influence of marijuana are becoming alarmingly common on the roads of Georgia and other U.S. states according to a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency's National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers suggests that the number of marijuana-impaired drivers has increased dramatically, and tests conducted at 60 sites across the country in 2013 and 2014 found traces of the drug in samples collected from 9 percent of daytime drivers and 13 percent of nighttime drivers.
911 center's employee jailed for DUI
An employee of the 911 dispatch center in Georgia's Rabun County was being held in the Stephens County Jail for multiple driving offenses. According to a spokesperson for the center, the driver was employed as a CAD technician.
A disturbing increase in drugged driving
Some Georgia drivers might be on the road while under the influence of drugs. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 20 percent of drivers tested positive for drugs in 2014. Informally, law enforcement is seeing an increase in opioid overdoses and drugged drivers. Some Midwestern and Pacific Northwest areas in particular are seeing a rise in the use of heroin and opioids.
Field sobriety testing for marijuana usage
Georgia residents might be familiar with the field sobriety tests that law enforcement officials use when trying to determine if a motorist is driving under the influence of alcohol. Some of these tests are also used to assess if a driver is under the influence of marijuana. However, it is not yet clear whether the tests can be scientifically accurate when pinpointing high motorists.
