A government study on impaired driving released last week found that drivers who had used marijuana were at a far lower risk of getting into a car accident than drivers who had used alcohol.
The Drug and Alcohol Crash Risk report, produced by the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found that while drunken driving dramatically increased the risk of getting into an accident, there was no evidence that using marijuana heightened that risk. In fact, after adjusting for age, gender, race and alcohol use, the report found that stoned drivers were no more likely to crash than drivers who were not intoxicated at all.
However, the federal researchers say that their report’s findings “do not indicate that drug use by drivers is risk-free,” adding that “the study limitations… together with the findings of numerous other studies using different and complementary methods, need to be carefully considered before more definitive conclusions about drug use and crash risk can be reached.”
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Unfortunately, the less-than-scientific results, while entertaining, didn’t yield much clarity. One regular smoker of marijuana tested above the legal limit, yet drove without much of a problem. Two casual smokers also navigated the course without incident. However, after smoking more marijuana, some of the participants quickly grew less adept behind the wheel.
Although the federal government’s marijuana ban has stifled some research on the drug, the most comprehensive federal study on how marijuana and alcohol impact drivers is currently ongoing and is expected to add some more clarity to the issue.
