Huffing While Driving

From Fox 13 News:

Utah police are monitoring an increase in a phenomenon known as huffing while driving whereby drivers huff inhalants whilst operating a vehicle. Police say the effects are similar to being drunk and, like alcohol, the effect can wear off quickly. The burgeoning practice has been reported in several parts of the United States as it gained popularity during the last two years. In one Utah town alone police reported at least six incidents over the past year.

However this trend is indicative of habits teens embraced before they got behind the wheel. Surveys conducted in Utah secondary schools found that 6 % of 6th graders and 9% of 8th graders had abused inhalants. This supports a national statistic which indicates inhalant usage amongst one in five middle school students.

A local health official believes a lack of awareness is largely to blame. He says, "We think to talk to our kids about alcohol use, we think to talk to them about marijuana, maybe other substances, but a lot of times we don't think to talk to them about inhalants."