Accidents Involving Prescription Drugs Pose Complications in Prosecuting
According to an article by the New York Times, auto accidents involving prescription drugs are harder to convict and prove as a contributor to an accident or even the sole reason for its occurrence. One of the issues that detectives and police force are facing is that there is no agreement on what level of drugs in the blood impairs driving.
While the numbers of drunken driving deaths are lowering in number, the number of prescriptions for painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medications have increased drastically in numbers. These types of medications can all have different effects on the body and have been reported to cause numerous side effects that can impair a driver in a vehicle. Police have also struggled in trying to convict someone who has legitimate prescriptions. In some states there has been legislation passed against driving under the influence for any type of illegal drug in the blood system. Unfortunately trying to set any kind of limit on prescription drugs has become more complicated because the complex chemistry of each drug makes it difficult to predict how it can affect each person. Currently, there is no statistics available to detect how many accidents have been caused as a result of a driver being under the influence of prescription drugs. The problem is growing at such a rapid pace that police officials have now begun putting new officers into special training that helps them spot signs of drug impairment and have them pushing for the technology to detect it.
The abuse of prescription drug medications has been slipping through the cracks of many automobile accidents. If you or a family member has been involved in an accident involving someone that was under the influence of prescription drugs then contacting a professional, like an Arizona personal injury attorney, who can handle the complexity of the case is imperative.
