Buffalo drivers are not immune to the growing epidemic of prescription opioid abuse. When a person under the influence of an opiate gets behind the wheel, everyone on the road is put in greater danger.

According to the results of a public investigation posted on the JAMA network, the use of prescription opioids by drivers is increasingly implicated as a contributory cause in fatal motor vehicle crashes.

The article states that in this study of 3,642 drivers involved in 18,321 fatal 2-vehicle crashes, prescription opioid use as indicated by toxicological testing results was associated with a significantly increased risk of crash initiation, due in large part to failure to keep in proper lane.

In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of unintentional deaths. Drug overdose is the first.

Increase in drugged drivers

In the past two decades, prescription opioids have been detected in more than 7 percent of fatally injured drivers, up from just one percent prior to the onset of the epidemic in the mid-90s.

The study provides compelling evidence that driver use of prescription opioids may double the risk of fatal 2-vehicle crashes, independent of demographical characteristics, driving history, and alcohol use. This finding is generally consistent with previous studies. A recent meta-analysis found that prescription opioid use was associated with a 47 percent increased risk of crash initiation.

Stay in your lane

The study found drivers under the influence of prescription opioids often failed to stay in their proper lane. Failing to stay in their lane accounted for 54.7 percent of errors leading to 2-vehicle crashes by drivers that took prescription opioids, compared with 40.4 percent of errors by drivers not under the same influence.

Crossing the center lane was identified as being a particularly dangerous error.

Know the laws

Driving under the influence of drugs, such as opioids, is prohibited in every state. The study notes that currently, 16 states have zero-tolerance laws for all or select opioids, while Ohio and Nevada have per se laws that specify legal cutoff concentrations for some opioids. Variation in regulations across states is due in part to inadequate research and lack of consensus on prescription opioids and driving safety. To tackle the problem of driving under the influence of drugs, law enforcement personnel are increasingly using oral fluids for quick roadside tests to screen for marijuana, opioids, and other drugs.

If you are a New York driver who was injured in an accident and you suspect prescription opioids were a factor, one of the experienced Buffalo attorneys at the Law Offices of James Morris can help you navigate the laws and get the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today to learn more.