If you have been in a truck accident in Charleston or Huntington, West Virginia, please visit the website of Jan Dils & Jim Leach, West Virginia truck accident attorneys, today to learn more about what you can do following this traumatic event.
The United States government, at this time, mandates pre-employment drug tests and then random drug and alcohol testing after being hired for all commercial truck drivers. The law specifically states that drivers with a commercial driver's license (CDL) are subject to drug testing as are truck owner-operators with a CDL and motor carriers who employ drivers with a CDL.
A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety showed that 15% of all interstate truck drivers had marijuana in their system, 12% had stimulants (non-prescription), 5% had prescription stimulants, 2% had cocaine and less than 1% had alcohol in their system. The use of drugs and alcohol by truck drivers will, of course, increase the number of truck accidents on our nation’s roadways.
Alcohol
Just about everyone knows that you don’t have to be drunk to be impaired while driving. Even very low blood alcohol content (BAC) levels impair driving performance by reducing your reaction time and slowing the decision-making process. The federal government prohibits commercial truck drivers, railroad and mass transit workers, marine employees, and aircraft pilots from operating vehicles with a BAC at or greater than 0.04%. The number of accidents caused by intoxicated truck drivers has actually decreased in recent years. Statistics show that approximately only 1-3% of trucking accidents are caused by an impaired truck driver.
Marijuana
Many people believe (erroneously) that driving after smoking marijuana is safer than driving after drinking. This is simply not true. Marijuana can affect concentration, perception and reaction time as long as 24 hours after it is smoked. That is much, much longer than alcohol affects a driver's behavior.
Marijuana has been found to be a factor in over 12% of fatal trucking accidents. In recent years, out of the truckers tested randomly for drugs and alcohol, a whopping 45% showed marijuana in their system.
Methamphetamine
Due to the ridiculously long hours truckers must drive to meet deadlines, they are always looking for ways to stay awake and alert to meet deadlines. It has been reported that 17 out of every 20 truckers say it is very easy to find methamphetamine at truck stops along their route. Truckers have recently been succumbing more and more to the powerful drug due to the fact it can keep people awake for several hours and sometimes days at a time. Surveys and roadside tests have indicated that one in five truckers use stimulants on some of their trips.
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