{"id":117352,"date":"2021-04-20T10:28:16","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T14:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=117352"},"modified":"2021-04-20T10:28:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T14:28:16","slug":"state-police-to-crack-down-on-drug-impaired-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=117352","title":{"rendered":"State police to crack down on drug-impaired driving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u20184\/20 holiday\u2019 prompts prevention and enforcement campaign<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>State police will crack down on drug-impaired driving during an enforcement and prevention campaign April 20, 2021. During this campaign, troopers will add additional patrols targeting impaired drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On April 20, also known as 4\/20 \u2014 a term associated with marijuana use, many marijuana users will observe a day of increased marijuana use. State police are using this day to remind drivers of the dangers of driving under the influence of any substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police say drug-impaired driving has become an increasing danger on the nation\u2019s roads. Last month, New York became the latest state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, in addition to permitting use of the drug for medical purposes. State police want to remind New Yorkers that it is illegal to drive impaired by marijuana or any other substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers these safety tips and reminds drivers of the dangers of driving while impaired:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you\u2019re planning to use marijuana, do not drive. Designate a sober driver who won\u2019t be using marijuana or use public transportation or a ride-sharing service. Someone who\u2019s high shouldn\u2019t be making decisions about driving; that\u2019s why planning ahead is key.<\/li><li>According to NHTSA, between 2009 and 2018, of those drivers killed in crashes and tested for marijuana, the presence of marijuana had nearly doubled.<\/li><li>In 2018, 46 percent of drivers who were killed in crashes and tested for drugs tested positive.<\/li><li>It doesn\u2019t matter what term you use: If a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, wasted or drunk, they are impaired and should never get behind the wheel.<\/li><li>In every U.S. state and territory, it is illegal to drive under the influence of drugs \u2014 no exceptions.<\/li><li>Whether the drug is legal or not, drug-impaired driving poses a threat to the driver, passengers and other road users.<\/li><li>If you think driving while high from marijuana won\u2019t affect you, you are wrong: It has been shown that marijuana can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.<\/li><li>Your best defense against impaired drivers on the road is your seat belt. Wear it on every trip, and make sure your passengers do, too.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The cost of impaired driving<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>On average, an arrest for impaired driving can set you back $10,000 in attorney\u2019s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing and more.<\/li><li>If you\u2019re caught driving under the influence of any impairing substance, you can face jail time.<\/li><li>Drug-impaired driving could cause you to lose your driver\u2019s license and your vehicle. This could stop you from getting to work, resulting in lost wages or even your job.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Make a plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you plan on using a substance that will result in impairment, arrange for a safe ride home ahead of time.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you have ingested an impairing substance such as marijuana, do not drive. Passengers should never ride with an impaired driver. If you think a driver may be impaired, do not get in the car.<\/li><li>If you are drug-impaired, pass the keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you to your destination. Like drunk driving, it is essential that drug-impaired drivers refrain from driving a vehicle. It is never okay to drive while impaired by any substance.<\/li><li>Do you have a friend who is about to drive while impaired by drugs? Take the keys away, and arrange to get them home safely.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u20184\/20 holiday\u2019 prompts prevention and enforcement campaign State police will crack down on drug-impaired driving during an enforcement and prevention campaign April 20, 2021. During this campaign, troopers will add additional patrols targeting impaired drivers. On April 20, also known as 4\/20 \u2014 a term associated with marijuana use, many marijuana users will observe a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}