June 27, 2012 According to a recent press release from New York law enforcement agencies, a growing number of motorists are being arrested on drugged driving charges. Experts say that the number of arrests in the state for drugged driving has gone up by 35 percent in the last ten years, from 1,669 arrests made in 2001 to a total of 2,248 arrests in 2011. Officials believe this trend has a direct correlation to the increase in prescription drug abuse that New York has seen in recent years, combined with a lack of funding for training officers to recognize drugged drivers. Currently, there are only 135 officers in the state that have gone through the 200 hour program to become a drug recognition expert. One offender charged with drugged driving was recently sentenced for a Buffalo Car Accident that left his fiancée dead. The Buffalo News reported that the accident happened last February, along Genesee Street in Cheektowaga, New York. The man lost control of his Ford sedan, crossed over the median, and crashed head-on into a Dodge pickup truck. It was determined that the responsible driver had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash. He was sentenced to a six-month jail term and five years of probation. The Buffalo Injury Attorneys with the William Mattar Law Offices ask that you never get behind the wheel after taking a substance that may impair your ability to drive.
New York Experiencing a Growing Number of Drugged Drivers