Drunk drivers cause some of the biggest problems on the road today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the year 2014 saw no fewer than 9,967 people killed in car crashes in which someone was impaired by alcohol. On average, this number means that one person was killed every 53 minutes.
Alcohol is not the only killer. Car accidents are also caused by people who are impaired by drugs. Unfortunately, while there are ways to tell whether someone is under the influence of alcohol, it is far more difficult to determine if someone is driving while drugged. However, this might change soon, as the engineers at one of America’s top universities have developed a device that can change how police keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.
Stanford University Engineers Create Device to Detect Marijuana
A team of engineers at Stanford University have developed a highly-portable device that can be used to detect minute amounts of THC – the chemical hallucinogen in marijuana – in the saliva of a driver suspected of operating under the influence of drugs.
The device relies on magnetic biosensors to detect THC molecules in a driver’s spit, allowing police officers to test drivers they suspect of being high in the field. This can help reduce the number of times a suspect is taken into the police station to conduct a highly-intrusive blood or urine test. If successful, the device would be a huge improvement over breathalyzers or blood tests, which cannot determine when the THC entered a suspect’s bloodstream. The device would also be a massive improvement over the current police technique, which largely leaves it up to the responding officer’s discretion as to whether a driver is under the influence of marijuana.
Better Enforcement Techniques Mean Safer Roads
If the device, sometimes called a “potalyzer,” is a success and a viable tool for police officers to use on the road, U.S. roads would be much safer. Drugged driving, like drunk driving, is the cause of countless accidents that leave numerous drivers severely injured every year, and kills many others, as well.
Personal Injury Attorney Joel Williams Fights for Your Interests
If you or someone you love has been severely hurt in or around the Kennesaw, Georgia area, contact the attorneys at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter to get the legal representation that you need to get the compensation that you deserve.
