The Franklin county Sheriff’s Office will be extra vigilant regarding impaired drivers today, April 20. Each year, April 20th, known commonly as 4-20, sees an increase in marijuana use as the day is annually recognized as a “marijuana holiday.” As such, local law enforcement is anticipating an uptick in impaired driving and is once again teaming up with the U. S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind all drivers that “if you feel different, you drive different.”. Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards:
According to statistics from NHTSA, the presence of marijuana in fatality car crashes nearly doubled between 2009 and 2018 with 46% of drivers killed in crashes in 2018 alone testing positive for drugs. Lyon County Deputy Jody Meyers says in a news release “it doesn’t matter what the day is; marijuana impairment is a threat when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, we are asking our community members to obey the law and to make safe choices when behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
