Drugged driving is as dangerous as drunk driving as it may impair an individual’s ability to make good judgments behind the wheel of a car. San Diego police are among a growing number of locations that are using mouth swabs to determine when drivers are under the influence of marijuana. These chemical tests will help detect drivers who are on drugs. Two portable testing machines recently hit the San Diego police field area. Los Angeles was the first city in California to use this new detection method. These machines test not only for marijuana but also:

  • Methadone
  • Methamphetamines
  • Cocaine
  • Benzodiazepine
  • Opioids
  • Amphetamines

The Office of Traffic Safety in California identified that nearly 40% of drivers killed in vehicle crashes in California in 2014 tested positive for drugs whether they were legal or illegal. That was a 6% increase from the previous year, prompting serious change in the field. Swabs with portable testing kits are being used in other locations as well, including Nevada, Arizona, and New York as well as in other countries. San Diego police will have to observe a driver in order to make an initial determination about his or her impairment. The motorist then may be asked to move forward with a swab inside his or her mouth where it is held up to four minutes. It is then tested in a portable machine and results can be viewed by a police officer in as low as 8 minutes. Only a blood test can determine the levels of drugs inside a person’s system, but these portable tests may be the first step towards identifying problems. If you or someone you know who has recently been killed in a drunk or drugged driving accident, you may have grounds to file a personal injury case to recover compensation.