Chuck Grassley: “every half hour, somewhere in this country somebody is killed as a result of an alcohol related traffic accident. This…”

“every half hour, somewhere in this country somebody is killed as a result of an alcohol related traffic accident. This is a sobering statistic. Thanks in part to a massive national response, nearly 1.5 million people are arrested and taken off the road each year for driving under the influence of alcohol, undoubtedly saving lives. But, there is an equally dangerous and potentially devastating problem lurking on our Nation's highways that is going largely undetected. In 2002, nearly 11 million people drove under the influence of illegal drugs, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report. While the effort to reduce drunk driving is making progress, those using illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates continue to get behind the wheel, putting each of us at risk everyday. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drugs are used by approximately 10 to 22 percent of all drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes. In 2003, a study conducted at the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore found that testing for alcohol alone would have identified less than 30 percent of all the substance abusing drivers admitted to the trauma unit as a result of a motor vehicle accident. Drugged driving is clearly a serious problem.”