DUI-D: Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Todd Beesly, an officer in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, relays a story of a woman that was under the influence of Ambien while driving. He describes that she was on her way to pick up her kids from school, but there was a problem; she was driving on the wrong side of the road. Beesly reports that most people are surprised when they are pulled over for prescription drug intoxication. There are some people who use their medication properly and those people are probably ok to be driving. However, if anyone has seen an opiate nod it is frightening to think that this can happen while driving. It’s about time that this situation receives some public notice about prescription drug addiction and driving. In Oklahoma, they are launching a campaign for driving after taking prescription medications which will be called “The Rx for DUI”. This campaign will cost 9.3 million in grant money and it will go to the program to decrease the amount of impaired drivers. The state is also training their officers to recognize symptoms of impaired drivers. An individual who risks driving while under the influence of prescription medications may wind up with a DUI-D, driving under the influence of drugs.
