The only thing worse than telling a family member their loved one has been killed by an impaired driver is being the family member who receives that message. And as law enforcement, that is a message we deliver far too often, especially on nights like New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, during the holiday season we see an increase in lives devastated due to motor vehicle fatalities that involve not only drunk driving, but drugged driving as well.
That is why it is critical that greater attention be paid to the potentially deadly consequences stemming from the liberalization of marijuana laws in many states across the country, including California — where recreational pot is legal beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
While voters and state lawmakers are tasked with reforming marijuana policy at the ballot box and the state capitol, it is law enforcement’s job to ensure that those who use the drug do not pose a danger to the public.
To that end, our current focus must be on discouraging drivers from driving under the influence of pot. A variety of factors contribute to this increasingly dangerous issue. They include: the rise in overall usage, the lack of a chemical testing similar to an alcohol breathalyzer to see if someone is under the influence of marijuana, as well as alarming ignorance among Americans when it comes to the dangers of driving high.
According to a new survey conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, just 40% of Americans believe driving under the influence of marijuana could be contributing to more motor vehicle crashes. That’s even though the drug has been shown to slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and distance, and decrease coordination, which can most notably lead to problems keeping vehicles correctly positioned in their lane. And while it is true that the vast majority of Americans (91%) believe driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous, there is an unsettling disconnect when most Americans cannot connect the dots between the dangers of driving high and an increase in crashes. That naïveté will undoubtedly lead to more deaths on the road.
In fact, a recent Highway Loss Data Institute study does show the connection between legalizing marijuana and an increase in crashes. In Colorado, Oregon and Washington, three states that allow recreational use of pot, collision claim frequencies are about 3% higher than would have been expected without legalization — a small but very significant number when you also consider the rise in traffic deaths. After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often found in the blood of drivers involved in crashes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
So why don’t Americans treat marijuana as seriously as they treat alcohol or even distracted driving like talking on a cellphone? Many parents are not educating their children about the dangers. Like many things, it all starts at home, where just 31% of parents say they’ve spoken to their children about driving under the influence of marijuana, according to PCI’s survey. Compare that to the parents who say they’ve had conversations with their children about wearing a seatbelt all/most of the time (67%), texting while driving (60%) or talking on a cell phone while driving (50%).
Since marijuana usage remains an issue among teens, and to a larger degree young adults, parents should be playing a greater role in educating their children about the risks. If parents aren’t making it a topic of discussion before handing their kids the car keys, they are setting a dangerous example.
Here’s a good place for parents to start: About 90 people die each day in this country due to traffic crashes. Driving while high is illegal, dangerous and life threatening.
Just recently, we learned that a man accused of causing a car crash that killed five teenagers in Vermont last year had elevated levels of THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes people high, in his system. Five families lost loved ones that day.
Until this country better understands that and acts more responsibly, we risk seeing these fatality numbers continue to rise. Help your children understand the danger of driving while high — it will help limit the numbers of families who far too often receive that tragic message.
credit:usatoday.com
