Americans are well aware of the terrible consequences of driving drunk and are familiar with the many successful drinking and driving awareness campaigns. With the dramatic increase of handheld phones and personal devices, campaigns and laws targeting talking or texting while driving have also gained prominence. Yet an often overlooked issue, especially among teens and young adults, is drugged driving.

The statistics are alarming regarding drugged driving in the teenage demographic. Among high school seniors in 2011, approximately 1 in 8 reported that in the two weeks prior to the survey interview they had driven after smoking marijuana – more than reported driving after consuming alcohol. Across age groups, the rate of driving under the influence of illicit drugs in 2011 was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 at 11.6 percent.

Drugged driving is a public health concern because it puts not only the impaired driver at risk, but also passengers and others who share the road. ONDCP has launched the Teen Drugged Driving: A Community Awareness Activity Toolkit to provide coalitions, prevention groups, and parent- and youth-serving organizations with facts on the danger and extent of teen and young adult drugged driving, activities to engage teens and the greater community, and resources to further assist with prevention activities. ONDCP hopes that this toolkit will be a resource to help organizations work together to raise awareness of the issue in their communities.

You may download the Teen Drugged Driving: A Community Awareness Activity Toolkit by going to the Resources section of the website.