Many people get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, even when they know that they’re intoxicated. Despite the fact that it’s illegal, why do these people think it’s a good idea? Most of them probably assume that nothing bad will happen to them. It’s the same kind of reckless, risk-taking behavior that can lead people to try drugs in the first place. Particularly in young people, there’s a feeling of invincibility – sure, people die, but it’s not going to happen to me. Unfortunately, no one has some magical confluence of luck and ability that allows them to avoid accidents, and it’s never just the intoxicated person’s life on the line.
According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2016, 20.7 million people aged 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year and 11.8 million drove under the influence of illegal drugs. Drugs can slow reaction times, impair decision-making abilities, decrease coordination, cause dizziness or drowsiness, and a host of other side effects that make operating a car or other piece of machinery a potentially lethal process. It’s hard to measure exactly how many crashes are caused by drugs, but one study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2009, 18 percent of drivers killed in a crash tested positive for at least one drug.
Car crashes are all too common, but there are some larger scale disasters that have been linked to drug or alcohol use as well. Here are just a few examples:
The Staten Island ferry crash in 2003. The ferry hit a concrete pier at full speed, killing 11 people and injuring 71. The ferry pilot turned out to have Tylenol PM and Tramadol, an opioid painkiller, in his system. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and subsequently attempted suicide twice.
Aeroflot flight 821 in 2008. This Russian plane crash killed eighty-two passengers and six crew members. It turned out that the pilots had been drinking alcohol and were also inexperienced and sleep deprived.
1987 train crash in Maryland. An Amtrak train crashed into another locomotive, killing 16 people. The engineer admitted to using marijuana while on the job and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Kentucky bus crash, 1988. A pickup truck driven by a man under the influence crashed into a school bus carrying sixty-seven people. Twenty-seven children and teenagers were killed and thirty-four were injured.
London train crash, 1972. Six people were killed and 126 injured when a train crashed while speeding through the station, reportedly at 45 miles an hour over the speed limit. The drive, who was among those killed, had a blood alcohol level of .278 percent, which is just short of the point where alcohol poisoning typically occurs.
These disasters all could have been averted if the people involved had simply followed the law and common sense and not operated vehicles while intoxicated.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
