HARTFORD–In a shocking new report, AAA indicates that people driving under the influence of illegal drugs is of greater concern to Connecticut drivers than those driving under the influence of alcohol.
A new AAA poll of hundreds of Connecticut drivers indicated more people see drugged drivers as a “very serious threat” to personal safety compared to how they see drunk drivers.
“The fatal crash on I-91 last month — on a Saturday afternoon — involving a driver who police say admitted to using heroin, underscores that these concerns are not unfounded,” said AAA spokesperson Amy Parmenter.
That crash on October 15 wasn’t the only one. A driver overdosed on opioids and then crashed in Vernon in July, and according to AAA on the same day another crash on I-84 in New Britain involved the use of opioids. Both apparently had to be revived with naloxone, an opioid antidote that counteracts the effects of heroin and other opioid drugs.
“Drugged driving presents some unique challenges, as compared to drunk driving. For instance, there’s no way to measure impairment comparable to the BAC test for alcohol.” Parmenter says. “Drugged driving requires a completely different approach”.
Here is a video that AAA is distributing to underscore the importance and gravity of the issue:
