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As states liberalize their marijuana laws, public officials and safety advocates worry that more drivers using the drug will lead to a big increase in traffic deaths. Now The Guardian reports that it appears that unlike alcohol, drivers using marijuana tend to be aware that they are impaired and try to compensate by driving slowly, avoiding risky actions such as passing other cars, and allowing extra room between vehicles. In Washington State, there was a jump of nearly 25% in drivers testing positive for marijuana in 2013 – the first full year after legalization – but no corresponding increase in car accidents or fatalities. When adjusted for alcohol and driver demographics, a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation found that otherwise sober drivers who tested positive for marijuana were slightly less likely to have been involved in a crash (PDF) than drivers who tested negative for all drugs. “We were expecting a huge impact,” says Eduardo Romano, lead author of the study, “and when we looked at the data from crashes we’re not seeing that much.”
But another recent study that used similar data to assess crash risk came to an opposite conclusion. When Columbia University researchers compared drivers who tested positive for marijuana in a roadside survey with state drug and alcohol tests of drivers killed in crashes, they found that marijuana alone increased the likelihood of being involved in a fatal crash by 80% (PDF). But because the study included states where not all drivers are tested for alcohol and drugs, a majority of drivers in fatal crashes were excluded, possibly skewing the results. Also, the use of urine tests rather than blood tests in some cases may overestimate marijuana use and impairment. “We see the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington as a wake-up call for all of us in highway safety,” says Jonathan Adkins. "We don’t know enough about the scope of marijuana-impaired driving to call it a big or small problem.
(Score: 0, Troll) by PReDiToR on Thursday September 04 2014, @11:07AM
"ACs are never seen so don't bother. I never surf below +2 just for you."
First of all, thank you for your empathy and informing me about your surfing habits. I hope you have a wonderful time not reading my AC response.
OT, in Germany, they test drivers with a swab. You have to put a stick in your mouth that tests your saliva for THC and other drugs (MDMA, Cocaine, Amphetamines and others). This is better than a urine test because when testing positive it indicates that you recently (24-48 hours) used those substances. Instead of urine, which is usually tested for metabolites and can indicate use over much longer periods as you correctly stated.
I'm so DAMNED helpful, eh?
Do not meddle in the affairs of geeks for they are subtle and quick to anger.
(Score: 1) by Heathen on Thursday September 04 2014, @12:26PM
You're going to have to get your score above +2 first.
(Score: 1) by PReDiToR on Friday September 05 2014, @04:33AM
Such is the way of things, eh?
Do not meddle in the affairs of geeks for they are subtle and quick to anger.