Good News: Drunk Driving Deaths Down in Indiana. Bad News: Drug Impaired Drivers on the Rise.

Posted on Oct 11, 2019 by Conrad Saam

According to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2018 saw a 13% decrease in drunk driving deaths from 2017.

One reason for this decrease is that local law enforcement agencies and the Indiana State Police have been increasing attention to drunk drivers. Police are especially vigilant this time of year on NFL football Sundays.

In what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls “groundbreaking” studies, the nation’s crackdown on drunken drivers has been shown to be very effective — with the number of drunk drivers on the road dropping by 80% since the early 1970’s.

Unfortunately, while drunk driving is down, there had been a significant increase in drivers under the influence of drugs. When someone decides to drive their vehicle under the influence of any drug, the results can be as tragic as drunk driving.

In fact, a new study from the Indiana University Public Policy Institute and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute reveals that drivers under the influence of drugs, not alcohol, have statistically surpassed drunk drivers as the cause of impairment-related fatal motor vehicle crashes in Indiana. In Indiana, there is a trend for more impaired drivers to be under the influence of drugs rather than alcohol.

From 2014 to 2018, the percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers fell from 40.5% to 38.4%, while drug-impaired drivers involved in fatal Indiana collisions rose from 43.2% to 45.2%.

If you or a member of your family has been a victim of an impaired driver, please contact Theodoros & Rooth right away. We will listen carefully and determine if you have a case. If so, Theodoros & Rooth will represent you aggressively until justice is served. There is never a fee until there is a successful outcome.