Drug Related Car Crashes on Rise in Uta
A recent report in a Salt Lake City newspaper indicated that drug-related fatal car crashes are on the rise in Utah again. The report indicates that 108 individuals from Utah were killed in incidents where someone chose to drink or use drugs before getting behind the wheel in a one year period. Also during that year, the amount of deadly collisions where a driver tested positive for drug use rose 7 percent— from 67% to 72 %. Within the past decade, these fatalities account for more than a quarter of all fatal crashes within Utah during the 1 year period that was examined.
The report further indicated that most often, marijuana, meth, depressants and narcotics were found within the driver’s system. Perhaps this prompted Utah lawmakers to recently pass a bill which dropped the legal blood alcohol content for driving to .05 percent – making Utah the lowest in the nation.
The DUI report also indicated the following statistics:
- 81% of drivers arrested for DUI had a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.
- 12% of those arrested were under the legal drinking age of 21, with 14 being the youngest.
- The average blood alcohol content for those arrested was .15%, with the highest being .42%.
Although the recent bill to lower the legal blood alcohol content for driving is significant, more needs to be done to lower the rate of drug related car crashes in Utah.
Source: Desert News, Heather Miller, DUI/Alcohol-Related Crashes Fatalities in Utah, DUI/Alcohol-Related Crashes Fatalities in Utah