The dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs are discussed in this article. It talks about recent studies that cover important topics about accidents caused by impaired driving and how an attorney can help you.
What are the risks of driving while impaired by drugs?
Numerous car accidents are caused by impaired drivers. The public imagines the drunk driver, but the driver of the vehicle that hit you could be under the influence of marijuana or any other substance.
Regardless of the source, driving while impaired is against the law in Kentucky. The following is stated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
According to the New York Times, marijuana users are approximately 25% more likely to be involved in a vehicle accident than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use. Both the recreational use of marijuana and the number of accidents involving drivers who were impaired by cannabis have increased over the past ten years. 16% of drivers intoxicated by something other than alcohol are the cause of vehicle accidents. 13% of drivers on the road at night and on weekends have marijuana in their system. According to a recent analysis of public safety data from the United States, marijuana was involved in approximately 22% of vehicle accident fatalities between 2000 and 2018. The percentage of deaths caused by alcohol remained roughly constant during this time.
How is driving affected by marijuana?
Unlike alcohol, marijuana has a different effect on the brain. If you smoke it, you may experience a brief high, which should subside within three to four hours. Because marijuana is metabolized in your digestive system and liver rather than your lungs, it will take longer for you to feel high if you eat something with marijuana in it.
It's hard to tell how long the feeling will last. When someone eats, they might not feel much for a while, think they won't get high, and then start driving and become impaired.
The intoxicating component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs a number of driving behaviors, including the capacity to change lanes, response times, and judgment. It alters how time and speed are perceived, which can result in panic attacks.
What evidence points to the dangers posed by stoned drivers?
In a study of 191 regular marijuana users (using it an average of 16 times per month), participants were instructed to smoke THC cigarettes or placebos for a minimum of four puffs over a 10-minute period until they reached their desired level of euphoria. It demonstrated that drivers who smoke pot believe they are safer to drive than they actually are.
Participants took part in driving simulations throughout the day and another half hour later. They went through a simulation 30 minutes after smoking, and just under half of them said they felt safe driving. Even though their performance was identical, that percentage increased to nearly 70% after 90 minutes.
Who is more risky? A drunk or stoned driver?
A 2017 study with over 4,000 drivers from a French police database found that a drunk driver is 17.8 times more likely to cause a fatal car accident than a sober driver.
Police identified marijuana-impaired drivers as 1.65 times more likely to cause fatal accidents. According to a 2007 study of US roadside safety reports, marijuana-using drivers had a 1.83-fold higher fatality rate than sober drivers.
How helpful are blood tests in determining whether the driver was impaired?
Drug tests taken after car accidents are frequently used in these studies, but these tests have many limitations. Only the person's previous marijuana use can be shown in the results. Because they are unable to demonstrate whether they were impaired while driving, let alone when, these studies may overstate the dangers of stoned driving.
A positive drug test does not necessarily indicate that the driver was intoxicated when they drove because cannabis can remain in fatty tissues for up
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