The legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana has become a hot button issue throughout the United States. As voters and lawmakers are asked to consider what constitutes an appropriate policy on marijuana use, it is important to think about what relaxing laws on marijuana can mean for driving safety.
Understanding the accident risks presented by marijuana use before getting behind the wheel is very important when considering policy proposals. If marijuana makes accidents more likely, as evidence seems to suggest it does, it becomes important to protect motorists. Motorists also need to work with New York injury attorneys if they are harmed in drugged driving accidents so they can obtain the compensation they deserve for crash losses.
Evaluating the Risks of Drugged Driving
LA Weekly reported recently on studies showing the dangers associated with impaired driving. The research comes from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which has announced its opposition to marijuana legalization measures on ballots across the country.
The AAA research revealed that the proportion of motorists who had recently used marijuana before becoming involved in a fatal accident had doubled after Washington state legalized marijuana. AAA also indicates that some studies have determined a person who has used marijuana has approximately double the risk of becoming involved in a car accident if the motorist is high while driving.
Marijuana has been found to result in slower reaction times among motorists; has been determined to make it harder for drivers to pay attention; and has been revealed to impact coordination and decision-making abilities in adverse ways. It is not clear exactly how much THC (the active ingredient in cannabis) has to be in a person’s system before the individual is affected by these symptoms that impair driving abilities.
While driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal even in states with legalized marijuana, AAA is concerned about the difficulty of enforcing laws aimed at prohibiting drugged driving. Unlike with drunk driving, there is no simple and easy test like a breathalyzer which can currently be used to tell if someone has consumed marijuana before operating a vehicle.
THC settles within fatty environments, including in the brain, and obviously roadside testing cannot analyze brain tissue. Blood, breath and urine tests only measure current levels of THC, which aren’t necessarily a good indicator of whether a person is actively impaired by the consumption of cannabis. If it is harder for police to tell if someone is high while driving, then it will be harder to stop impaired drugged drivers before they cause accidents to happen. This puts every motorist in serious danger.
If you or someone you love is involved in an accident with a drugged driver, you should consult with Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff as soon as possible. You may be able to pursue a legal claim to obtain compensation for serious injuries or for wrongful death occurring due to a drugged driving accident. An attorney can help you to understand your rights.
