Today the CT Department of Transportation issued its warning on the dangers of driving impaired over the holidays.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired driving remains a leading cause of fatal crashes in the United States, especially during the holiday season. In Connecticut in 2023, the most recent year with verified data, 113 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes. … Remember, buzzed driving is drunk driving.”
To help prevent impaired-driving crashes, CTDOT urges residents to ‘use rideshares, taxis, or public transportation if you’ve been drinking.’
But earlier this week, officials said even they were ‘shocked’ by the results when they began testing … drivers for drugs. People are getting behind the wheel with a different kind of cocktail.
In October, the Connecticut Forensic Lab started testing all impaired drivers for drugs. “It’s not simply alcohol combined with one drug combined with alcohol,” Dr. Jessica Gleba, the director of Forensic Lab Operations, said. “We are seeing multiple drugs used together and often combined with alcohol.”
Across America, around 30% of fatal crashes are caused by impaired drivers. Joe Cristalli, Jr., the CTDOT Highway Safety Office director, said Connecticut is well above that.
“The impaired rate is …between 37% and 40% – and we’re one of the highest in the country,” Cristalli said.
Connecticut legalized marijuana use in 2021; both medical and recreational use is permitted. The Department of Transportation warns residents in 2024 ‘Stay Off the Roads if You’re High‘.
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