This holiday season: ‘Drive High, Get a DUI’
We know buzzed driving is drunk driving, but what about driving while drug- impaired?
Nationally, it is illegal to drive while impaired by any substance, and this includes drugs.
This holiday season, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office are participating in the “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI” impaired-driving awareness campaign, which runs from Dec. 15 - Jan 1.
In support of the law enforcement community’s dedication to protecting lives in their communities, you’ll see officers working together during the holiday season to take drug-impaired drivers off the roads.
According to NHTSA, from 2009 to 2018, of those drivers killed in crashes and tested for marijuana, the presence of marijuana had nearly doubled. This is why it’s so important we spread this lifesaving message: “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI.” It doesn’t matter what term you use: If a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, wasted, or drunk, he or she should not get behind the wheel.
Think driving while high won’t affect you? You’re wrong. It has been proven that THC can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep in their lanes.
“The holiday season should be a happy time for our community, and we want to see drivers getting to their destinations safely,” said Sheriff Russell Barker. “We cannot overstate the importance of abstaining from driving after using drugs. The bottom line is that no matter what the substance, if it has impaired you, you should not be driving.”
ACSO and NHTSA are reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely. “Driving impaired is a choice,” said Sheriff Barker. “Make the right choice and find a designated driver for a sober ride home if you’ve used an impairing substance. There are just no excuses for impaired driving.”