Per se drugged driving laws and traffic fatalities Articles uri icon

publication date

  • January 2015

start page

  • 122

end page

  • 134

volume

  • 42

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0144-8188

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1873-6394

abstract

  • In an effort to reduce drugged driving by 10%, the Office of National Drug Control Policy is encouraging all states to adopt per se drugged driving laws, which make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a controlled substance in the system. To date, 20 states have passed per se drugged driving laws, yet little is known about their effectiveness. Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the period 1990-2010, the current study examines the relationship between these laws and traffic fatalities, the leading cause of death among Americans ages 5 through 34. Our results provide no evidence that per se drugged driving laws reduce traffic fatalities. © 2015 Elsevier Inc.