Is driving under the influence of marijuana as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol? People are contemplating this question as more states legalize medical and/or recreational use of marijuana.
“No one who lives in a motorized society can ignore the enormous human cost of traffic crashes,” said Troy Walden, Director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).
He added: ” … we can’t just continue to say we need to do something. It’s equally important that we know the right thing to do. In the case of marijuana-impaired driving, it is essential that we raise questions about the nature, source and quality of information that influences the decision-making process for safety …”
Read: Driving High vs. Driving Drunk: We Still Have a Lot to Learn.
Drug Impairment Training for Texas Employers (DITTE) is offered free through the Texas Our Driving Concern program. The focus of DITTE training is two-fold: to help managers and supervisors identify the signs and symptoms of impairment in the workplace and to make roads safer for all – drivers, passengers, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Request training at your location: Minimum class size is 10 participants and maximum class size is 25. Make plans to attend: Find an upcoming DITTE training session near you.
Know this: Alcohol and other drugs can affect skills required for safe driving, including judgment, concentration and the ability to react to what happens on the road. Your focus should not be limited to illegal drugs, but also should include alcohol, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
When it comes to marijuana, alcohol and driving, TTI captured the beliefs of state residents in a 2017 survey:
- 89.5% said it is unsafe to drive after consuming alcohol
- 39.5% said driving under the influence of marijuana is safer than driving under the influence of alcohol; 34% disagreed
- 92.7% said it is unsafe to drive after using alcohol and marijuana in combination
- 39% said drivers under the influence of marijuana are less likely to get into a crash than drivers under the influence of alcohol; 36.8% disagreed
Find more survey results here: Marijuana and Driving: A Look at Texans’ Attitudes and Impact on Driving Under the Influence.
Share these resources at your workplace via a safety talk, intranet company newsletter or email:
Use Safety Coach Cards to create an interactive, Jeopardy-style quiz game with your group. Learn how to use the cards and download a complete set.
Tailgate Talk
How ‘Big Kids’ Can Protect Little Ones and Cut Costs
Kids do not crash vehicles. Yet, data tells us they all too often are victims in incidents involving grownups.
These incidents routinely cost Texas employers money. In fact, off-the-job crashes account for 80% of employer health-benefits costs. One way to reduce those costs is to provide consistent and ongoing traffic safety messages at your workplace.
Prevent Child Injury is preparing tools that call for safer driving based on crash impact on children. In Texas, 2,149 children age 15-and-under were involved in crashes in 2016, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Twenty-five were killed and 372 were injured.
You can support Prevent Child Injury during Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April by using the resources supplied in its toolkit during a public outreach from April 9-16. The kit will be packed with items such as a press release, newsletter article, social media posts and memes. Get the kit here.
Prevent Child Injury’s push is designed as a show of support for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s campaign: U Drive. U Text. U Pay.
Make plans to engage your employees by scheduling a time to use the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Distracted Driving Simulator. Test your knowledge with the End Distracted Driving Quiz.
In the field, watch Live with Lisa traffic safety videos:
- Distracted Driving: Your Employees Can Protect Themselves & Others
- Inattention Blindness: It’s the Same as Driving with Your Eyes Closed
In 2016, there were 109,658 traffic crashes in Texas involving distracted driving, an increase of 3% over 2015, according to TxDOT. Watch PSA: Cell Phone Man. Attend free webinar: Engaging Ways to Address Distracted Driving at Work.
