I.I.I. Study Starts Ringing Alarm Bells On Marijuana Legalization and Impaired Driving
A Rocky Road So Far: Recreational Marijuana and Impaired Driving explores marijuana impairment's impact on a motorist's driving abilities, how states deal with marijuana-impaired motorists, and marijuana's broader implications for
Early results aren't promising, the I.I.I. found. There are signs legalizing recreational marijuana pushes accident rates higher, while it can be difficult to detect whether a driver is high on marijuana.
"There is currently no 'breathalyzer' equivalent for marijuana impairment," write
Some
"Early evidence suggests that recreational marijuana legalization is associated with an increase in traffic accidents," the paper states, citing a 2018
In addition to those three states, recreational marijuana is legal in seven others—Alaska,
"When a state legalizes marijuana, more people use the drug. More people using marijuana is associated with more people driving with THC in their systems," the paper states. "The standard personal auto policy does not address driving under the influence of any drug, including alcohol and marijuana. However, auto insurance rates may be affected by the spread of marijuana legalization, particularly if such legalization is associated with an increase in impaired driving and related accidents."
Moreover, when a motorist consumes both alcohol and marijuana, and then drives, that motorist is 25 times more likely than a sober one to be involved in a fatal accident, the I.I.I.'s white paper notes, pointing to a 2017 study in Injury Epidemiology.
Just the Facts
- Marijuana affects its users differently but the drug generally impairs cognitive and motor skills.
- Marijuana impairment increases the risk of culpability for a car crash. And mixing marijuana and alcohol heightens driving risks.
- Marijuana use could increase after recreational marijuana legalization — and the number of THC-positive drivers could increase, as well.
- Recreational marijuana legalization is associated with an increase in collision claim frequency, according to the
Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).
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