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Are people under the influence of marijuana twice as likely as unimpaired drivers to be involved in a serious car wreck? That’s what a study published yesterday on bmj.com found after analyzing existing studies to point out the relationship between marijuana use and the risk of motor vehicle accident. Experts at Dalhousie University in Canada reviewed nine studies of more than 49,000 people involved in accidents where marijuana use was confirmed by blood tests or self-reporting. Drivers who had smoked pot within three hours of driving had nearly double the risk of causing a car wreck, especially a fatal accident. Other reports, like one published in the October journal of Epidemiological Reviews have had similar findings.
Is this surprising? Not to me or anyone else that works at my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth. Of course you shouldn’t be under the influence of any illegal or legal substance that can cloud your judgment and reaction time while driving. DUH! Do we really need a study to tell us this? Smoking pot and driving is no more of a good idea than drinking and driving is, plus getting high is illegal all the time, not just after two puffs.
With as many bad drivers as there are out there we don’t need people who are high added to the mix. Drugged driving is the same as drunk driving under the eyes of the law. If you’re going to do it, stay home and stay put.