The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently rolled out its new safety campaign, If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. The campaign builds on national efforts to combat drunk driving and the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving with the message: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI.
The campaign will run through the Labor Day holiday weekend (Aug. 15-Sept. 3), one of the deadliest times on U.S. roads. This new initiative partners the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over message with If You Feel Different, You Drive Different.
NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King joined law enforcement, safety and stakeholder organizations, and victims of drug-impaired driving, on Aug. 14 to announce the launch of this new campaign at a press event in Nashville, Tenn.
“A driver’s judgment and ability to react are both impaired when driving high, but many drivers don’t realize that it’s dangerous and illegal,” said Heidi King, NHTSA deputy administrator. “Driving either drunk or high is a DUI; impairment is impairment.”
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. State and local law enforcement agencies will be saving lives by stepping up enforcement to put an end to impaired driving. Beginning today, national television, radio and digital ads will run in support of the campaign, including the newest drug-impaired driving advertisement. NHTSA encourages everyone to plan ahead, especially when celebrating the Labor Day weekend: never drive high or drunk, use public transportation or call a ride-sharing service or cab to make sure you get home safely.
The ads follow NHTSA’s drug-impaired driving summit, hosted by Deputy Administrator King in March, and underscore the agency’s commitment to educating all drivers that they should never drive drunk, high or impaired by any substance. In July, NHTSA held the first of several regional meetings around the topic. NHTSA is reaching out to communities to gather the best ideas and approaches for addressing drug-impaired driving.
