Ever since Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana a couple of years ago, with several other states following suite recently, there has been a debate over whether it will become an increasingly common traffic risk factor and whether it will lead to more car accidents on U.S. roadways.
While there is some truth to the claims that using marijuana affects a person’s driving ability, many studies show that the consequences of driving under the influence of marijuana are not nearly as serious as those of drunk driving, and that it does not increase the risk of getting into an accident substantially.
Awareness of Their Impairment
One of the main reasons why drivers under the influence of marijuana should not be considered a major risk to road safety is that unlike drunk drivers, they are aware that they are impaired and don’t engage in risky driving behaviors. They try to focus on the driving tasks and pay attention to the surroundings much more than drunk drivers, and they tend to drive more slowly in order to compensate for their impairment, whereas those driving under the influence of alcohol are more prone to speeding and reckless driving, thus presenting a bigger threat to traffic safety.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has published several studies in the past few years that suggest that marijuana can increase a driver’s reaction times, impair judgment, and affect motor coordination, but they also show that a severe impairment of driving abilities is only associated with high doses of THC. A correlation between low levels of THC in a person’s bloodstream and a serious impairment of car handling performances has not been found.
Marijuana Use Hasn’t Increased Number of Accidents
On the other hand, the NHTSA released a report a couple of months ago that shows no link between marijuana and car crashes, after studying over 9,000 drivers over the course of almost two years to determine exactly how smoking weed affects driving. The study found that although those who use marijuana are 25 percent more likely to get in a crash than unimpaired drivers, the risk ratio dropped from 1.25 to 1.05 after race/ethnicity, sex and age were taken into consideration.
In other words, the apparently higher risk of getting into an accident for marijuana users could be attributed to factors like sex and age, rather than the actual use of marijuana, given that the majority of those who tested positive for THC were young males, who are usually considered to be more accident-prone.
To sum up, there is not a single piece of evidence supporting the theory that the risk of accidents can be associated with marijuana use. It should be noted, though, that people should avoid getting behind the wheel after smoking weed, given that marijuana does affect reaction times and judgment.