If I am involved in a car accident where someone is arrested for drug impaired driving, what does that mean?

There is a lot of misconception about what constitutes Driving Under the Influence and many people assume that they can only be arrested for drunk driving. If someone gets behind the wheel of their vehicle, even after taking too much over the counter cough medicine, they can be pulled over and arrested for suspicion of drug impaired driving or DUI. There are any number of other substances that can be taken in excess and cause enough instability in your driving to give an officer good reason to become suspicious enough to pull you over as well, such as prescription medication, or obvious illegal substances.

What is important to remember as a sober driver, is that it is very difficult to identify someone who is driving under the influence of drugs and if you are even slightly suspicious, you should get away from the other person if possible. Drug impaired driving can cause alterations in depth perception, inattention, confusion, slow and delayed reaction times, sleepiness and many other impaired symptoms.

Although every state has drug impaired driving laws on the books, there are very few who employ a process designed to help identify and pull-over impaired drivers. The main reason being that drug impaired driving is much harder to spot than drunk driving. There is very rarely visible evidence that someone is driving under the influence of drugs.

In Rhode Island, the law dealing with DUI or Driving While Impaired RIGL 31-27-2.7, even goes so far as to lay out the guidelines and procedures for determining impairment, as well as the penalties and sentences if found guilty; which can start with simple fines of up to $250 and community service, and end with license suspension for subsequent violations.

The difficulty in identifying drug impaired drivers increases after arrest as there are no field sobriety tests currently available to determine the level of impairment at the scene. National statistics however, point to the fact that of those drivers arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, 18% also tested positive for drugs at the time of arrest.

Any impaired driving, including driving after taking certain prescription or over the counter medications, can warrant at least being pulled-over by law enforcement.

If you are involved in an accident where someone has been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, and you have sustained injuries or property damage to your body or vehicle, you need to speak with an experience personal injury attorney immediately to preserve your rights and any claim you may be able to file for compensation.  For an appointment and consultation with S. Joshua Macktaz, an experienced and highly qualified personal injury attorney in Rhode Island with office locations in Providence and Newport, call (401) 861-1155, email Joshua.Macktaz@gmail.com or fill out a confidential contact form on the website HERE.