Government to crack down on drivers who use drugs

WASHINGTON -- Federal officials embarked Tuesday on their most comprehensive effort to reduce the thousands of deaths blamed on drivers under the influence of illegal drugs.

The campaign will include public service announcements warning motorists of the dangers and a program to train police officers to identify drugged drivers.

More than 17,000 people are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents. Around 4,500 drivers who were killed in crashes in 2000 -- almost one in five -- had used drugs other than alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge said police will step up enforcement this holiday season, including more checkpoints to catch drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs.

In addition, the government will fund programs to teach police officers to identify drugged drivers through such tactics as checking the size of a motorist's pupils, pulse and blood pressure and gauging reactions. About 5,500 officers have been trained in 35 states so far.

"We are losing thousands of individuals to drug-impaired driving," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "This is not something we are powerless to do something about."

Few regulations for drugs

While motorists who have a specified amount of alcohol in their blood are automatically considered to be driving while impaired, only 11 states have similar regulations for drugs -- Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Utah, and, in certain cases, Nevada, North Carolina and South Dakota, according to NHTSA.

In the other states, prosecutors must prove that a person's ability to drive was impaired by drugs, relying largely on the testimony of police officers who pulled over the motorist. For example, the officer might say that a motorist was driving erratically or couldn't respond to simple commands after being pulled over.

Federal officials said they would work with states to pass legislation establishing drug limits.

States haven't passed such laws despite new technology that makes it easier for police to determine whether drivers are using drugs, according to a report issued this month by the Walsh Group and the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Substance Abuse. The report said improved tests of urine samples, blood and saliva make it easier to detect drugs.