DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS & THE DRE

 

Despite the government’s keen interest in enhancing the training programs aimed at accurate detection of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), which is quite obvious from the increased funding for the extensive training programs being conducted nationwide to impart the police personnel with some well researched and updated DUID detection techniques, the desired accuracy still has not been achieved. One element of the system’s shortcomings may be attributed to the government supported aggressive approach of the law handlers towards the suspects.

 

Drawing a fine line for impaired driving can always be a tricky thing especially when most of the assumptions rest on human judgment. Due to the erratic human perception the detection of someone under the influence of drugs cannot be always error free. Even a driver’s ailing medical or mental health condition could mislead a police officer to arrest a driver for being under the influence of drugs. It is important that the police officers should be well trained in the related medical aspects and should also consider the driver’s medical history before making any decisions.

 

A course called the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program (DEC) has been designed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for training police officers to detect drug use by drivers. This course trains the police officers to follow a 12-step procedure called a “drug recognition evaluation” (DRE). While the DEC course may be a good attempt at training officers to detect drug use, it is still under wide criticism by many medical experts as to its inadequacy in determining drug intoxication.

 

In order to determine the amount of a drug in the body Blood Tests have known to be by far the most accurate, but the actual quantity of a drug in the blood still remains a debatable issue by many experts.

 

By now you may have a picture of the complex nature of driving under the influence of a drug cases. But an aggressive a DUI attorney can make all the difference by thoroughly examining police and laboratory records, as well as employing expert witnesses. That is why it is important to have an experienced DUI attorney by your side to best defend you against your charges.