ALBANY, N.Y. — Two U.S. senators are proposing that federal grants be used for research and to train police to identify the rising number of drivers operating under the influence of drugs.
Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas say police have no equipment and few have training to identify drugged drivers, who behave differently than drunken drivers.
Schumer says drugged driving arrests rose 35 percent in New York since 2001. But he says that's a fraction of the cases.
Schumer says studies show the explosion of abuse of prescription drugs means the dangerous driving is done far more often, but police need the tools and training to identify it.
Two boys were recently killed in New York accidents in which drugs may have played a role.
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