Drivers testing positive for alcohol and marijuana are five times more likely to be responsible for causing fatal two-vehicle crashes than sober drivers involved in the same crashes
- Summary:
- Use of marijuana in combination with alcohol by drivers is especially dangerous, according to a study. Drivers who used alcohol, marijuana, or both were significantly more likely to be responsible for causing fatal two-vehicle crashes compared to drivers who were involved in the same crashes but used neither of the substances.
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Drivers who used alcohol,
marijuana, or both were significantly more likely to be responsible for
causing fatal two-vehicle crashes compared to drivers who were involved
in the same crashes but used neither of the substances.
Credit: © chalabala / Fotolia
Use of marijuana in combination with
alcohol by drivers is especially dangerous, according to a latest study
conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Drivers who used alcohol, marijuana, or both were significantly more
likely to be responsible for causing fatal two-vehicle crashes compared
to drivers who were involved in the same crashes but used neither of the
substances. The findings are published in the journal, Annals of Epidemiology.
"The risk of crash initiation from concurrent use of alcohol and
marijuana among drivers increases by more than fivefold when compared
with drivers who used neither of the substances," said Guohua Li, MD,
DrPH, professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health.
The study also indicates that when used in isolation, alcohol and
marijuana increase crash culpability by 437 percent and 62 percent,
respectively.
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The three most common driving errors that led to these fatal crashes were failure to keep in proper lane (43 percent), failure to yield right of way (22 percent), and speeding (21 percent).
Since the mid-1990s, the prevalence of marijuana detected in fatally injured drivers has increased markedly. During the same time period, 28 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation to decriminalize marijuana for medical use, including eight states that have further decriminalized possession of small amounts for adult recreational use. Although toxicological testing data indicate a continuing increase in marijuana use among drivers, a positive test does not necessarily infer marijuana-induced impairment.
"While alcohol-impaired driving remains a leading cause of traffic fatalities in the United States, driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs has become more prevalent in the past two decades," said Dr. Li, who is also the founding director of Columbia University's Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention. "Countermeasures targeting both drunk driving and drugged driving are needed to improve traffic safety."
The three most common driving errors that led to these fatal crashes were failure to keep in proper lane (43 percent), failure to yield right of way (22 percent), and speeding (21 percent).
Since the mid-1990s, the prevalence of marijuana detected in fatally injured drivers has increased markedly. During the same time period, 28 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation to decriminalize marijuana for medical use, including eight states that have further decriminalized possession of small amounts for adult recreational use. Although toxicological testing data indicate a continuing increase in marijuana use among drivers, a positive test does not necessarily infer marijuana-induced impairment.
"While alcohol-impaired driving remains a leading cause of traffic fatalities in the United States, driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs has become more prevalent in the past two decades," said Dr. Li, who is also the founding director of Columbia University's Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention. "Countermeasures targeting both drunk driving and drugged driving are needed to improve traffic safety."
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