Page 26 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 BAKER | FROM PAGE 22 ty Administration (NHTSA) showed that traffic fatalities have reached a 15-year high in the first six months of 2021. More than 20,000 people have died in motor vehicle crashes so far this year. The NHTSA attributes this alarming trend to an increase in risky behavior, including driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Indeed, NHTSA’s recent review of five trauma centers, including one in Worcester, Mass., found a significant increase in the prevalence of drugs detected in seriously and fatally injured drivers, with 56 percent testing positive for at least one impairing substance, up from 50.8 percent before the public health emergency. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), THC, marijuana’s principal active ingredient, impairs coordination, judgment and balance – the skills every operator needs to drive safely. A February 2020 survey conducted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving found that one in eight adults (12 percent) admitted to driving within two hours of con
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