PITTSBURGH — Death has become Natalie Parkinson's life. She joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) after her daughter was killed in 2007.
"A first-time DUI offender who was caught slammed into her at 101 mph," Parkinson said.
But now, drugged driving has become an even deadlier issue.
A Governors Highway Safety Association study found more than 43 percent of drivers in fatal crashes in 2016 had drugs in their system. At the same time, close to 38 percent of drivers involved in deadly crashes tested positive for alcohol.
And, because Breathalyzers and field sobriety tests can't determine if someone is high, local police departments are investing in drug recognition experts.
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"When I was first starting here, I did two or three drug DUIs," Castle Shannon Police Officer John Kiefer said. "Every year, it seems to go up a little bit more."
Even police departments such as Castle Shannon, which covers an area less than two square miles, has its own drug recognition expert.
"We've had several DUID crashes in town that were related to opioids," Kiefer said. "That's part of the reason I got pushed into this field."
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Drug-related crashes have steadily risen over the last five years, totaling 4,300 in 2017, according to PennDOT. The number of fatal crashes linked to drugs has also increased in each of the last three years.
It's leading to departments sending officers back to school to become drug recognition experts, a process that requires extensive training, according to retired Pennsylvania State Trooper Craig Amos.
"These officers need this training," Amos said. "They need to be able to spot it, and they need to be able to react to what's happening."
Amos now trains officers to recognize the signs of a drugged driver, which he said is critical to getting them off the streets.
"As we get our officers better trained to recognized drug impairment, they're recognizing it's not alcohol but he's impaired and they're getting that DRE," he said. "They're making arrests where, maybe 10 years ago, they wouldn't have."
It's a process Natalie Parkinson said she's happy to see moving forward. She now volunteers with MADD and is hopeful fewer people will have to experience the pain of losing a child to a drugged or drunken driver.
"You're able to connect in ways that other people cannot," she said. "You can hear the grief, but you also feel the grief. You help them, but you also help each other get through the day."