Introduction
Not too long ago, the common menace was drink driving, however, the new trend that seems to be increasingly popular right now is “drugged driving”. Perhaps you have witnessed accidents whereby doctors claim it was due to the use of substances that the victims lost their lives? If so, the result inferentially means that the drivers were drugged driving.
What Is Drugged Driving?
Drugged driving is driving while being intoxicated by drugs. It means being under the influence or control of drugs while driving just like driving while under the influence of alcohol. At this juncture, it is imperative to know that drugged driving is not just being under the influence of hard drugs but also prescribed or overuse of drugs which can be dangerous to the body especially when driving.
What Causes Drugged Driving?
After alcohol, marijuana is one of the most common drugs most linked to many road accidents. Marijuana as a hard drug influences not only one’s behavior but one’s perception, reaction time, balance, and coordination. In other words, marijuana affects the driver’s reaction to other road users hereby being a danger to not only himself but also to other users. Check here if you’re looking for the best drug rehab centers or a great online suboxone clinic.
Dangers Of Drugged Driving
Drugged driving has a debilitating effect on its victims. To begin with, the direct influence of drugs on individuals driving is generally as follows;
- Drowsiness: Drugged drivers have reported being sleepy on the road.
- Dizziness: An inability to see straight or clearly.
- Lack of concentration: A distracted mind leading to an impaired judgment and lessened attention to their driving.
All of the above may then lead to;
- Death
A lot of people who are involved in such accidents do not survive. Marijuana, one of the leading causes of drugged driving has hallucinatory properties, with a person high on marijuana possibly seeing a truck in front of him where there’s none in actual fact. This makes it hard to avoid fatal collisions or take proper emergency measures, leading to a greater number of deaths overall.
- Life-Altering Damage
In the rather rare event where a driver and the other occupants luckily survive such accidents, some individuals might sustain life-changing injuries such as severed limbs or broken spinal cords. This is due to the velocity of a moving vehicle and its resultant impact on an accident.
- Resultant Psychological Problems
Some drivers who survive these accidents, however unlikely that is, develop a medical condition known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It fills them with apprehension and this affects their mental health for the rest of their lives. Some might even develop an aversion towards automobiles that are not the cause of their accidents while failing to recognize the real cause of their problems.
- Death Of Innocents
While the loss of life is preeminent, victims of car crashes have their lives altered by these incidents. Lots of passengers aren’t aware of the antics of their vehicles’ drivers. Thus, while being completely innocent of the state of the drugged drivers, they may lose limbs or have their mental and physical abilities impaired in an accident, or even lose their life.
- Unforeseen Collateral Damage
What matters, even more, is that the resultant crashes might involve innocent drivers or even walking pedestrians. While it is impossible to determine just how much drugs affect drivers when driving, it remains a fact that they do. As such, drugged drivers are unable to avoid hitting pedestrians or crashing into public places. Collisions, vehicle explosions, and the loss of property that results, all fall under this.
This risk that they pose is why being caught drugged driving attracts such a heavy fine as punishment.
Conclusion
Not only the drugged driver and his victims are affected by his/her actions, but their families and the society at large. Therefore, drugged driving, with all its dangers as listed should be discouraged even further, till it ceases to pose a threat to lives and properties.
