More than one in four teens who
drive say they've driven impaired or on drugs. 57% of drivers age 16-20
who admitted driving after taking drugs felt that they were “not high
enough to cause a crash.”
About one in eight young drivers believes using
recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, speed, or ecstasy does
not affect their driving.
In the limited time we have to administer this course,
most of the focus has been on the dangers, results, and risks associated
with alcohol-impaired driving. The danger of sharing our roads with
impaired drivers also includes drivers that are under the influence of
other drugs.
Prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs can
impair driving skills including vision, reaction time, judgment,
hearing, and the ability to multi-task. Driving requires other cognitive
skills such as information processing and psychomotor skills, which may
also be impaired by the use of assorted drugs.
It is illegal to drive under the influence of drugs.
Penalties include losing your license, a fine, and/or jail. Combining
drug use with driving inexperience and high-risk behavior can lead to
disaster on the road.<
A vast amount of research has been conducted on the
effects of alcohol impaired driving. Methods of measuring BAL and the
ability to identify alcohol-impaired drivers have become a relatively
accurate science. Not as much research has been dedicated to determining
the effects of other drugs on the ability to operate a vehicle.
However, we know what drugs do to the body and that many people take
drugs and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
There are statistics that show drivers are on the road under the influence of mind- and body-altering substances.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) developed a survey and report to present data on
driving following drug use, an area in which previous research is
limited. <
In-home personal interviews with 11,847 respondents age
16 and older represented over 166 million drivers in the United States.
The 166 million drivers represent only those drivers who reported
driving within two hours of drug and/or alcohol use.
Driving After Drug Use
A majority (68%) of licensed teen drivers who use drugs regularly report that they “drug and drive.”
- 28% (46.5 million people) reported driving within two hours after drug or alcohol use.
- 5% (9 million people) drove after drug use, with or without alcohol.
- 23% (38 million people) drove after alcohol use only.
Characteristics of Drivers Who Drove After Drug Use
Driving after drug use was more common among drivers who were:
- Young (13% for those age 16-20 vs. 5% for those age 21 and older),
- Male (7% vs. 4% for females),
- Never married (11% vs. 3% for those who were married), and
- Unemployed (11% vs. 6% for those employed full-time).
Marijuana was the illicit drug used most often by
drivers who drove after drug use (used by 70% of those who drove after
drug use).
Among those who reported driving after using marijuana:
The majority reported heavy or weekly use in the past year (60%).
More than half claimed that the marijuana use did not at all affect their ability to drive safely (56%).
More than half perceived that they were no more likely to be stopped by police when driving after marijuana use than when sober.
A large majority of those who drove after the use of
tranquilizers and sedatives (84% and 71%, respectively) drove following
the medical use of these drugs. In contrast, only 43% of those who drove
after the use of stimulants used these drugs for medical purposes.
Driving after drug use most commonly occurred on smaller roads (55%), in
urban areas (56%), on the weekend (67%), and usually began between 6:00
p.m. and 11:59 p.m. (49%). The data indicates that even if you are not
taking drugs and driving, many people are.
Drugged drivers are under the
influence of marijuana, cocaine, sedatives, and speed. If you do not
take drugs and drive, it is still critical that you understand you need
to be alert to drivers who are erratic, speed, and seem to be unable to
maintain lane position. Drive defensively, especially when driving at
night or in an environment that might have a high risk of drugged
drivers in your midst (6).
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States.
Many young drivers don't believe there are risks
associated with marijuana use. Approximately one in six (15%) teens
reported driving under the influence of marijuana, a number nearly
equivalent to those who reported driving under the influence of alcohol
(16%), despite higher prevalence of alcohol consumption among teens.
After alcohol, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
marijuana's major psychoactive constituent, is the drug found most often
in the blood of drivers involved in road collisions. With some
exceptions, epidemiological studies indicate the presence of THC in
roughly 4-12% of drivers injured or killed in traffic collisions.
Research shows that smoking marijuana affects focus,
concentration, perception, coordination, and reaction time, many of the
skills required for safe driving. The drug can make it harder for a
driver to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road.
These effects can last up to 24 hours.
Marijuana is also mind altering. Thinking and reflexes
are slowed, causing difficulty in responding to sudden unexpected
events. A driver’s ability to “track” or stay in the traffic lane, to
brake quickly, and to maintain the correct distance between cars is
affected.
The data indicates that even if you are not taking
drugs and driving, many people are. Drugged drivers are under the
influence of marijuana, cocaine, sedatives, and speed. Even if you do
not take drugs and drive, it is still critical that you understand you
need to be alert to drivers who are erratic, speed, and seem to be
unable to maintain lane position. Drive defensively especially when
driving at night or in an environment that might have a high risk of
drugged drivers in your midst.
Although there has been much research on the effects of
alcohol’s impairment while driving, not as much has been dedicated to
determining the effects of other drugs on driving skills. However, we
are aware of the effect of drugs on the body and that many people take
drugs and then get behind the wheel of a car to drive.
According to various studies and reports, driving after
drug use was more common among drivers who were under the age of 20
years, were male, never married, and unemployed.
Marijuana was the illicit drug most often used by
drivers who drove after drug use (70%). Research shows that smoking
marijuana affects focus, concentration, perception, coordination, and
reaction time; many of the skills required for safe driving. The use of
the drug can make it harder for a driver to judge distances and react to
signals and sounds on the road. Marijuana is also mind altering.
Thinking and reflexes are slowed, causing difficulty in responding to
sudden unexpected events. <