DUI survey reported on in the well
Jul. 14th, 2009 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkitouthttp://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/driver-survey-finds-less-drinking-more-drugs/
Nice coverage, actually. I'm pleased. And the way they got the samples looks good, too. They pay for saliva and more for blood; if a driver refuses outright, they up the ante. If they think someone is impaired, they don't call the cops, but they do make sure they find another way home.
I think it's probably good that we've seen a shift from alcohol to other drugs; alcohol really, really, really messes with driving. It is hardly surprising that rates for alcohol are highest between 1 and 3 a.m. (bar closing hours), nor that it is more men than women, nor that it's mostly truck drivers and motorcyclists.
Of course we don't have a baseline to compare the drug use numbers to -- whether we have more now or fewer is a matter for speculation unfettered by data.
Nice coverage, actually. I'm pleased. And the way they got the samples looks good, too. They pay for saliva and more for blood; if a driver refuses outright, they up the ante. If they think someone is impaired, they don't call the cops, but they do make sure they find another way home.
I think it's probably good that we've seen a shift from alcohol to other drugs; alcohol really, really, really messes with driving. It is hardly surprising that rates for alcohol are highest between 1 and 3 a.m. (bar closing hours), nor that it is more men than women, nor that it's mostly truck drivers and motorcyclists.
Of course we don't have a baseline to compare the drug use numbers to -- whether we have more now or fewer is a matter for speculation unfettered by data.