Beware of National Weed Day: Insurers could see an increase in auto claims

As the legalization of cannabis grows, the annual ’4/20 stoner holiday’ is celebrated with gusto by marijuana consumers nationwide.

National Weed Day is April 20^th, and the American Property Casualty Insurers Association (APCIA) is warning drivers to be extra cautious this weekend. The JAMA Internal Medicine says that traffic fatalities are 12% more likely to occur that day after 4:20 p.m. compared to the number of incidents during the same period for the previous week.

“Like with any impairment, driving high is reckless and illegal every day of the year,” says Eileen Gilligan, assistant vice president of public affairs for APCIA. “Evidence shows that marijuana use can impair critical abilities necessary for safe driving such as judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time. Driving under the influence of marijuana jeopardizes everyone’s safety on the roads.”

Unlike alcohol, which causes drivers to be more aggressive, drive faster and make frequent lane changes, drivers under the influence of marijuana tend to drive more slowly and allow greater following distances between vehicles. But their reaction time to a sudden incident such as someone running a red light or cutting them off is significantly slower.

“The actual impacts on driving ability are far less than expected but no one should be driving impaired, so more consumer awareness is needed,” says Morgan Fox, media relations director for the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Testing for impairment

Determining whether or not a driver is impaired by marijuana or any other substance besides alcohol is difficult to verify without a blood test, despite the use of field sobriety tests, but a new app is showing much promise. The Druid app can be used on a smartphone or tablet and can be administered roadside.

“The app measures cognitive impairment through four tasks,” explains the app’s creator, Michael Milburn, who developed it after carefully examining the literature on driver impairment and years of studying cognitive impairment. The driver’s attention is divided during the tasks — forcing him or her to do something else at the same time. Drivers multi-task all of the time, usually successfully, but the app looks at reaction time, eye-hand coordination, and tests balance by having the user stand on one leg, much like the common sobriety test. “Disrupted balance is indicative of impairment,” says Milburn.

The Druid app can also determine impairment over a period of time. Cannabis users may ingest it through an edible such as a cookie or brownie, and not immediately feel its effects. The Druid app allows drivers to establish a baseline test without impairment and then check their reaction time through the app after using or ingesting cannabis.

The app generates a score between 0-100. The higher the score, the more impaired the individual is. A score of 58 on the Druid app indicates legal impairment. Law enforcement in several states is currently testing the app’s efficacy with positive results.

Milburn says the app can be used for other types of testing too, such as assessing concussions for athletes, evaluating aging adults to check their reaction time for driving or determining whether commercial drivers are impaired in some way.

“It’s always been about saving lives,” shares Milburn. “I want to stop someone who’s impaired from getting into a car and driving.”

Related:

• Insuring cannabis companies remains problematic
• Legalized marijuana: Opportunity or time bomb? – Part 1
• Two times marijuana fogged up homeowners’ insurance claims
• Doing business with the cannabis industry? Make sure your insurance covers you