Drugged Driving (DUID) in Ventura
Ventura DUI Attorney
If you’ve been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, a Ventura DUI attorney from Lessem, Newstat & Tooson, LLP can help you understand your legal rights and options. After an arrest, you may feel like the evidence is stacked against you, but you don’t have to face this challenge alone. At the firm, we are committed to giving each case the personalized care and attention to detail that it deserves. If you’ve been arrested for a crime that you know you didn’t commit, you still need a high-quality defense attorney on your side. If convicted, you will be subject to the same penalties as anyone else.
Call our office today to see what an attorney from the firm can do for your drugged driving case.
What is drugged driving?
You might assume that the term “driving under the influence” refers to alcohol. In reality, DUI refers to operating a vehicle under the influence of other substances, too. For example, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with certain prescription drugs in your system. DUI that involves any type of illegal or controlled substance is illegal as well. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), drugged driving is a fairly recent threat to the safety of American roadways. Within the past 25 years, the United States Government has come to understand the dangers or drunk driving. Today, the U.S. has launched a multifaceted effort to eliminate all forms of DUI – including drugged driving.
According to research, drugged driving can be dangerous. The NIH reports that drugs impair the brain’s ability to control mental and physical functions associated with driving. For example, some drugs may cause the driver to act aggressively and others may cause the driver to lose their depth perception or reaction time. Although each drug distorts the driver’s perception of reality in a slightly different way, the principal concern with driving under the influence of any drug remains the same:
- The safety of innocent motorists
- Passengers
- Pedestrians
- Bicyclists
- Bystanders
Unfortunately, the laws associated with drugged driving are far less comprehensive than drunk driving laws. Because of this, drugged driving cases can become extremely complex.
Drugged Driving and the Law
Although policy officials and public health officials acknowledge the dangers of drugged driving, relatively little technological advancement have been made to help law enforcement make fair and successful drugged driving arrests. For instance, impaired motorists can be arrested for drunk driving if they fail a breathalyzer test. On the other hand, law enforcement has failed to produce a tool that can accurately determine whether or not an individual is operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs. Why? Although drugs are often detectible in an individual’s bloodstream, saliva or urine, the presence of a controlled substance in your body does not necessarily mean that you are impaired. Marijuana, for example, can be detected in the body for nearly two weeks after use. Because of this, some states allow law enforcement officers to arrest drivers with any detectible trace of an illegal drug in their system.
