More police in Indiana are testing drug-impaired drivers with hand-held tech
Summary
— More police departments across Indiana now have access to a new tool to test potential drugged drivers, and the program aims to expand across the country. Now, the tool’s reach is expanding to 19 new agencies and 97 new devices around Lake County, Indiana, which is at the Illinois border, according to an Oct. 28 news release. SoToxa is a handheld device that tests saliva for six kinds of drugs: cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, cannabis (THC), amphetamine and benzodiazepines. The SoToxa test can be refused by drivers that have been pulled over, and ”the results cannot be used as evidence in court to determine if the driver was impaired.” “For decades, officers have been using handheld devices such as portable breathalyzers in the field, but this is the first time they’ll be able to test for the presence of drugs,” Devon McDonald, ICJI executive director, said in the 2020 release. A 2018 Governors Highway Safety Association report revealed 44% of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs in 2016, which is 28% higher than the decade before.