Wide support for driving impairment standards for marijuana
A new survey of U.S. adults conducted on behalf of the PCI, found that 70% think the government should establish driving impairment standards for marijuana, similar to the blood alcohol level standards set for drinking and driving.
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A new survey of U.S. adults conducted on behalf of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) found that more than two thirds of Americans (68%) see no difference in road safety on April 20, also known as National Weed Day, but 70% think the government should establish driving impairment standards for marijuana, similar to the blood alcohol level standards set for drinking and driving.
Related: Marijuana use could be jeopardizing safety on the roads, survey finds
Additionally, the same percentage of respondents (71%) support a field sobriety test for law enforcement to determine marijuana use.
Fatalities 12% more likely April 20
In a statement, PCI pointed out that a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that traffic fatalities were 12% more likely on April 20 after 4:20 p.m., the time the smoking celebration traditionally begins, than on the same day one week before or one week after.
National Weed Day is even more dangerous for young people, according to the study in JAMA, which showed fatal crashes were 38% more likely for drivers under the age of 21. However, according to the PCI survey, more than 50% of parents with teenagers at home said they had not spoken to their children about the dangers of driving high in the days leading up to April 20.
‘Hazardous activity’
“Driving high is dangerous every day of the year, but the risk is even greater on April 20 when marijuana use is ‘celebrated,’” said Robert Gordon, PCI’s senior vice president of policy research and international. “As states continue to liberalize marijuana laws, Americans need to be better educated about the impact of driving under the influence of marijuana. It is a hazardous activity that jeopardizes everyone’s safety on the roads.”
Related: Marijuana and insurance policy disputes
The PCI survey also found that 20% of Americans say they have driven a car under the influence of marijuana, with 82% of those who have driven under the influence of marijuana admitting they drove either immediately or within two hours of using the drug.
Driving high is illegal and research has found that it can impair judgment of time and distance, decrease coordination, and increase weaving. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, collision rates were about 3% higher in three of the states that have approved the sale of marijuana for recreational use — Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
Support for field sobriety test
Overall, no matter what time of the year, the PCI survey found that Americans rank marijuana use at near the bottom of potentially dangerous driving activity. The survey found that 41% of Americans believe talking to passengers is more or at least as dangerous as driving high, and 61% said marijuana use while driving is less or as dangerous as talking on a handheld cell phone.
Nevertheless, a large majority support the creation of driving impairment standards for marijuana and use of a field sobriety test for law enforcement to determine marijuana use.
Related: 5 driving risks you need to talk about with your teens
Victoria Prussen Spears, Esq., (vspears@alm.com) is associate director of FC&S Legal, editor of the Insurance Coverage Law Report, and senior vice president at Meyerowitz Communications Inc.