• In California, more drivers are high than drunk

    By Lauren Steussy, NBCLosAngeles.com

    About one in seven drivers on California roadways may be under the influence of drugs, according to a new survey by the state’s Office of Traffic Safety.

    The survey released Monday tested more than a thousand drivers on weekend nights in nine California cities.

    Roughly 14 percent of those drivers tested positive for drugs that might impair driving. Half as many of the drivers surveyed by the OTS tested positive for alcohol.

    Compared to national statistics, the number of drug-impaired drivers has increased throughout the years. It reinforces officials’ belief that driving under the influence of drugs – in addition to alcohol – is a serious and growing problem, said Christopher J. Murphy with the OTS.

    Read the original story on NBCLosAngeles.com

    The results highlight the need for more officers who are trained to detect drug-impaired driving. Without blood tests, it’s harder for officers to prove in court that a driver was under the influence of drugs.

    “But these folks that have been through the drug enforcement expert training -- if one of them can evaluate a driver accused of being under the influence of drugs, that testimony will normally hold up in court,” said OTS spokesperson Chris Cochran.


    The office also plans to increase the numbers of District Attorneys dedicated to drug-impaired driving cases, and purchase better lab equipment.

    Of the drugs found in those tested, marijuana was the most prevalent. More than 7 percent of drivers tested positive for the substance.

    The survey also found a significant number of drivers under the influence of both drugs and alcohol. About 23 percent of the drivers who were found to have alcohol in their systems also tested positive for some kind of drug, be it prescription or otherwise.

    About 1,300 drivers volunteered to provide breath or saliva samples set up at nine different locations in the state. Those who were judged to be too impaired were advised that they should have someone else drive them home, Cochran said.

  • US Postal Service officials to Florida customers: Stop crashing into our buildings

    By Sevil Omer, NBC News

    Officials with the U.S. Postal Service are sending a special message to customers in Florida: Pay extra attention to your driving.


    So far this year, eight motorists have crashed into post office buildings in Florida, including one customer who plowed through a lobby in the eastern community of Vero Beach, according to ABC affiliate WWSB7 in Sarasota.

    The accidents prompted postal officials to release a set of precautions, including “avoid distracted driving," "visibly check to see whether your foot is on the gas pedal or the brake pedal,” and “visibly check to see if the vehicle is in park, reverse or drive,” WWSB7 reported.

    Postal officials say drivers stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal or accelerating when the driver believes the vehicle is in reverse are the top causes for the accidents, WWSB7 reported.

    Attempts by NBC News to contact post office officials in Florida was unsuccessful Friday.

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    In June 2011, patrons escaped injury after 89-year-old Phyllis Slaunwhite roared her 2002 Subaru Outback all the way through a post office building in Oldsmar, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She told police she had no memory of the accident. Damage to the building: $250,000, according to the newspaper.

    "It was just a big smash and everyone started shuffling toward the front of the building," resident Frank Kubacki told the Tampa Bay Times. "There you go. Another Florida accident."

    WWSB7 provided a list of accidents this year:

    9/17/2012: Punta Gorda. Customer pressed the gas instead of the brakes and ran into the
    building, hitting a front pillar.

    8/21/2012: Leesburg. Customer she said she was startled by something falling from the
    sky and accelerated into the post office lobby.

    07/02/2012: Fruitland Park. Customer pulled into the wrong parking lot and was going to
    back out. He did not realize the vehicle was in drive and stepped on the accelerator,
    driving into the retail area.

    6/14/2012: Lakeland MPO. Customer was sitting in vehicle talking to husband, put foot on
    the gas instead of the brake, ran over the curb and knocked down a light pole.

    3/5/2012: Goldenrod. Customer drove vehicle into front lobby of PO. Customer
    thought she was pressing brake pedal as she was parking in handicap parking spot in
    front of PO. Instead she pushed gas pedal and drove vehicle into one of the building's
    mail supports.

    2/12/2012: Vero Beach-Tropic Branch. Customer failed to brake and drove vehicle
    through postal lobby.

    2/8/2012: Wimauma. Customer hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, hitting the
    front of the Post Office. The front bumper of the car hit the brick portion of the building
    breaking the front glass windows.

    1/3/2012: Indian Rocks Beach. Customer was leaving Post Office when foot slipped off
    the brake and hit the accelerator, sending car forward over the curb into the east wall of
    the Post Office. Car hit a cinder block wall, knocking down 2 sets of package lockers on
    the inside wall

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  • Judge bans teen from driving for life

    By msnbc.com staff

    CRANSTON, R.I. – A Rhode Island lawmaker is claiming a judge went too far when he revoked a teen’s driver license for the rest of his life because he wanted to send a hard-line message to others about reckless driving in the state.

    Chief Magistrate William R. Guglietta, who presides at Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal, sentenced 17-year-old Lyle Topa to the “most severe, most drastic penalty” the court could impose last week.

    "I've had it,” said Guglietta, according to The Boston Herald. “The time has come for a change in our attitude towards our young people driving, and I hope this is the first step in accomplishing that goal.”

    Topa crashed into a tree while driving in Charlestown on Oct. 23 with three friends. Police said the group of high school students had been at a party where alcohol was consumed before the accident. One passenger was in a coma for weeks.

    In January, Topa, a senior at Chariho High School, pleaded guilty in court to several charges, including driving over the speed limit and not wearing a seat belt, according to NBC 10 News.

    His lawyer, Kevin Hagan of Newport, declined an interview with msnbc.com. “I can’t comment,” Hagan told msnbc.com on Monday, adding “there is a reason I can’t comment, and I can’t comment on that.”

    One Rhode Island lawmaker said the judge’s hard-line stance may have gone too far.

    “It’s a little harsh,” state Sen. Robert Hedlund told The Boston Herald. “The kid might mature and actually be a responsible driver. I don’t know how you can take it away from a kid that age forever. What’s he going to do ... bike for the rest of his life?”

    Guglietta said Topa can ask the court to have it reinstated.

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