Log In


Reset Password

NHTSA and law enforcement remind drivers: Drive high, get a DUI

This holiday season, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will team up with Lehighton Borough Police to get drug-impaired drivers off the roads and help save lives.

The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, get a DUI,” began Dec. 18 and runs through Jan. 1.

During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drug-impaired driving.

Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to reduce drug-impaired driving on our nation’s roadways.

Like drunken driving, it is illegal to drive under the influence of drugs - no exceptions.

“The holiday season should be a happy time for our community, and we want to see drivers getting to their destinations safely,” said officer Joel Gulla of Lehighton Borough Police Department, who also serves as DUI Enforcement Coordinator for the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program. “We cannot understate the importance of sober driving. The bottom line is that no matter what the substance, if it has impaired you, you should not be driving.”

According to NHTSA, between 2008 and 2017, of those drivers killed in crashes and tested for marijuana, marijuana presence had nearly doubled. In 2017, 45% of drivers who were killed in crashes, and tested for drugs, tested positive.

It has been proven that THC can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.

Lehighton Borough Police and NHTSA are reminding people of the many resources available to get them home safely.

“Driving impaired is a choice,” Gulla said. “Make the right choice and find a sober ride home if you’ve indulged in an impairing substance. This holiday season, we will make zero exceptions for drug-impaired driving. There are just no excuses.”

Lehighton Borough Police recommend these safe alternatives to drug-impaired driving:

• If you have ingested an impairing substance, such as drugs or alcohol, do not drive. Passengers should never ride with an impaired driver. If you think a driver may be impaired, do not get in the car.

• If you are drug-impaired, pass the keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you to your destination. Like drunken driving, it is essential that drug-impaired drivers refrain from driving a vehicle. It is never OK to drive while impaired by any substance.

• Do you have a friend who is about to drive while impaired by drugs? Take the keys away and arrange to get them home safely. Don’t worry about offending them - they’ll thank you later.

• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact 911.

For more information about the If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI. campaign, visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drug-impaired-driving.