Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

A new law that sets legal limits on marijuana levels in the bloodstream took effect in Colorado on May 28. Under the new law, drivers are assumed to be impaired if their blood test shows a level of THC—the active ingredient in marijuana—of five or more nanograms per milliliter.

Lawmakers in Washington state, where recreational marijuana use is now legal, are trying to determine how police officers can identify drivers impaired by marijuana use, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving says the new recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board that states lower allowable blood-alcohol levels for drivers is not the most effective way to eliminate drunk driving, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday recommended states lower allowable blood-alcohol levels for drivers, from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent.

Swedish researchers have found a commercially available breathing test device can be used to detect 12 controlled substances, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, US News reports.

A new survey of teens finds 23 percent admit they have driven under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or marijuana. Almost 20 percent of teens who drink and drive say alcohol improves their driving, while 34 percent say the same about marijuana.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police generally need a search warrant before they order a blood alcohol test for someone suspected of drunk driving.

New Mexico, which has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths in the country, is considering a bill that would bar many convicted drunk drivers from purchasing alcohol anywhere.

The Colorado legislature is gearing up to debate where to set the limit on how much marijuana can be in a person’s system before they are considered to be driving under the influence, according to The Denver Post.

The threshold for the driving-under-the-influence standard that is part of the new Washington state marijuana law may be too high, a government expert told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case Wednesday on the question of whether police must obtain a warrant before forcing suspected drunk drivers to submit to a blood alcohol test.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin announced Monday the state will set up DUI courts to reduce the number of repeat drunk drivers. The courts will operate much like the three drug courts in the state, according to the Associated Press.

A survey of California drivers finds they are almost twice as likely to test positive for drugs that may impair driving, compared with alcohol.

Laws prohibiting bars and restaurants from serving intoxicated people can be an effective way to reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and violence, but the provisions in most states are poorly drafted and rarely enforced, according to two experts on alcohol policy.

The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case that centers on the question of whether police must obtain a warrant before forcing suspected drunk drivers to submit to a blood alcohol test.

A new study shows 57 percent of fatal car crashes involve a driver who tested positive for alcohol or drugs. Alcohol was the most common substance detected, followed by marijuana and stimulants, Reuters reports.

Almost three-quarters of deaths in drunk driving crashes in 2010 involved drivers who had blood alcohol levels that were nearly twice the .08 legal limit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday.

New, harsher drunk driving laws go into effect Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Mandatory minimum jail terms for people with blood-alcohol concentrations of .20 percent or higher have doubled. Commercial drivers, including taxi drivers, now have a blood-alcohol limit of .04 percent.

Almost half of adults with a drunk driving conviction said they had been struggling with heavy drinking for a long time, or had resumed heavy drinking after trying to reduce their alcohol use, a new study finds.

A new simulation program is teaching young drivers about the risks of drunk and distracted driving. The program is designed to demonstrate what can happen if they have an accident while they are driving under the influence or texting while driving.

Two types of state laws can help reduce the risk of teens’ drinking and driving, a new study suggests.

Drunk drivers are a threat on the road during Memorial Day weekend, warns Fox Business. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 397 people died over the three-day weekend in 2010, the latest year for which data is available. Of those crashes, 40 percent were alcohol-related.

Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have set a legal blood-level limit for the active ingredient in marijuana, THC. Currently convictions for drugged driving in the state depend on an officer’s observations, according to the Associated Press.

The Colorado Senate has passed a measure that would make it easier to convict someone of driving while under the influence of marijuana. The measure will now move to the House, according to The Denver Post.

Mock car crashes are a popular way of illustrating the dangers of drinking and distracted driving to teens during prom and graduation season. But in Palm Beach in southern Florida, there is disagreement about how effective these events really are.