Marijuana Use Linked to Increase in Fatal Crashes
Everyone knows that driving drunk is a horrible idea, but that message doesn’t seem to be hitting home when it comes to smoking pot and driving.
Marijuana use has been linked to a rise in fatal car crashes according to a new study published by Columbia University. From 2000-2010, the number of fatal crashes involving the use of marijuana tripled and the results could raise new concerns about the legalization of marijuana use.
Researchers from Columbia University conducted toxicological investigations of nearly 24,000 motor vehicle fatalities and concluded that marijuana use played at least some role in 12 percent of those deaths.
SEE ALSO: Car Crashes Cost US Economy Almost a Trillion Dollars a Year
Another study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that marijuana can impair a teen’s driving while also lowering their IQ. In addition, NHTSA found in a 2010 survey that one in eight high school seniors admitted to driving after smoking marijuana. Federal data shows that nearly half of drivers fatally injured in a crash that tested positive for marijuana were under 25.
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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This article is BS. You can bet big Pharma has their hand in this one. I know more people who are taking so many pharmaceutical drugs and getting behind the wheel it's pathetic. And no, it's not teens, it's middle aged, and the elderly who are so drugged out of their minds and driving without a conscious!
another smoke screen article to keep the uneducated masses in fear , a few exerts from that study Alcohol contributed to about the same percentage of traffic fatalities throughout the decade, about 40 percent, Li said. (weed equaled 12%) In an endnote to the study, the researchers pointed to several limitations with the research. One is that marijuana can be detected in the blood up to one week after use. And, therefore, the researchers said, the prevalence of nonalcohol drugs reported in this study should be interpreted as an indicator of drug use, not necessarily a measurement of drug impairment. i mean pot has became more sociably acceptable and more readily available so of course the test numbers are going to show the increase