Study Shows Marijuana Compromises Driver Judgment

Triple A recently published the results of a study showing a major increase in the detection of marijuana in fatal car crashes.  Could part of the reason for that be the perception that being under the influence of marijuana wasn’t a problem for driving?

A study published in the journal Health Education Research, says scientists surveyed 865 marijuana users in Colorado and Washington who said they had used marijuana or hashish in the past 30 days. More than 16 percent said they were high at the time they completed the survey. Surprise!

The data reveals that those who were high at the time of taking the survey were more likely to say they believe it is safe to drive while under the influence of marijuana, to say they might drive in certain situations, and to claim they would not get caught while driving high.  That’s the kind of impaired judgment that can lead to fatal driving errors.

Study co-authors have a word of advice for public health officials -  "When people are sober, most acknowledge they can't safely drive under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. The problem is, being intoxicated affects our perceptions of risk. The public health community would do well to address this in campaign planning and development." (UPI)