If you are at a bar and a friend is staggering and stumbling drunk, most of us would try to stop that friend from driving. We all know that drinking and driving do not mix.
But if that friend seemed fine, even though we knew they had had a lot to drink, we might not think twice about them driving. When we hear later that they crashed and that alcohol played a role, it can be confusing.
We grow up in a culture that largely ignores mental impairment, which is a subtle form of impairment which, more often than not, is the causative factor in most crashes, even with alcohol.
Driving and marijuana do not mix:
Marijuana is much more impairing mentally than shows physically.
In the past decade, a significant body of research has demonstrated the risks of marijuana and driving, with marijuana users at minimum doubling their risk of a crash.
Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims. (NHTSA 2010 report # DOT HS 811 415)
The typical marijuana high results in a level of impairment which is equivalent to a .08 BAC level. This is the legal limit in all 50 states for driving. Yet, .08 BAC does NOT mean we are safe to drive.
The BLUNT TRUTH:
Marijuana and driving DON’T mix.
