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How Impaired Driving Due to Medication Plays a Role in California Crashes
Whether a car accident occurred in Escondido or elsewhere in Southern California, it is critical to determine whether the other driver was impaired at the time of the collision. If another driver’s intoxication resulted in the crash, you may be able to file a car accident lawsuit in order to seek compensation and to hold that motorist accountable. When traffic collisions happen in Southern California, especially serious ones, law enforcement officials will often take steps to determine whether one or more of the drivers was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Yet, in crashes where alcohol or regulated drugs are not the cause of impairment, statistics become harder to track.
Negligence and Driving Under the Influence
According to new research from UC Davis Health, impaired driving due to medication use may be a much bigger problem than previously thought.
Most drivers in California know that it is illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, yet many people make the decision to drive after drinking alcohol or using marijuana. What many people also do not realize is that you can be impaired even if you are using prescription medications for which you have a valid prescription or even over-the-counter medications that can have sedating effects.
Under California law, the use of any alcohol or drug that impacts a person’s ability to drive safely can have criminal consequences, but it can also result in that motorist being liable in a civil lawsuit filed by the vehicle occupants, bicyclists, or pedestrians who were injured due to their impaired driving. If you were injured in a crash caused by a driver you believe to have been impaired, it is important to discuss the details of the case with a lawyer who can help you gather the evidence you need.
Dangers of Alcohol, Drugs, and Sedating Medications
According to the new UC Davis Health study, impaired driving happens much more than you might think. In December 2024, the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health received a multimillion-dollar grant “to study the role intoxicating substances and medications play in roadway crashes,” according to a news release. That grant allowed researchers to continue work on a study that they had undertaken over a year prior.
What the UC Davis researchers found was that about 40 percent of people injured in motor vehicle crashes — from minor to serious injuries — had “a potentially impairing substance detected” in their systems. Of those motorists, about 10% had signs of ethanol impairment due to alcohol use, and about 9% showed potential impairment due to cannabis use. About half of the potentially impaired drivers had not consumed alcohol or cannabis, however, but instead “sedating medications.” In short, the researchers found that a high percentage of impaired driving collisions in the state were frequently due to over-the-counter drugs, such as those “taken for cold and flu,” which can “make you drowsy and increase your risk of getting into a car crash.”
Contact North County Injury Lawyers for Assistance
If you were injured in a collision caused by an impaired driver, an experienced Valley Center personal injury lawyer can help you file a claim. Contact the North County Injury Lawyers today for more information.
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