People Against Drink/Drug Driving

Following a tragic crash that killed six high school girls in Oklahoma, the head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging parents to warn their teenagers about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana. The NTSB has released its final report on the March 22, 2022 collision, which provides detailed insights into the causes and implications of the accident.

Background of the Crash

The collision occurred in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, involving a Chevrolet Spark hatchback and a gravel-hauling semi. The investigation revealed that the 16-year-old driver slowed for an intersection but then accelerated through a stop sign. The NTSB concluded that she was likely impaired by recent marijuana use and distracted by having five other teenagers in the car.

NTSB Findings and Recommendations

Impairment from Marijuana

The NTSB report highlights several key impairments caused by marijuana:

• Decreased Motor Coordination: Marijuana use can significantly impair motor skills necessary for driving.
• Slowed Reaction Time: Users may react more slowly in critical driving situations.
• Impaired Judgement of Time and Distance: Accurate perception of time and spatial relationships is crucial for safe driving.

Broader Concerns: Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy pointed out that the issue of cannabis impairment while driving extends beyond teenagers. With more states legalising recreational marijuana, both teens and adults tend to underestimate its risks when driving.

Legal Status of Marijuana: As of now, marijuana is legal for recreational use in 24 states and Washington, D.C., for individuals aged 21 and older. However, driving while impaired by marijuana is illegal across all states and Washington, D.C. In Oklahoma, recreational use is not permitted, although medical use is allowed.

Safety Alert and Parental Guidance: The NTSB has issued a safety alert urging parents to discuss with their children the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana. The board emphasised the importance of educating young drivers on making responsible choices to avoid impaired driving and not riding with impaired drivers.

Broader Implications: The NTSB’s findings underscore the critical need for increased awareness and education around the risks of driving under the influence of marijuana. As legalisation expands, understanding how marijuana affects driving abilities becomes increasingly important to prevent similar tragedies.

(Source: AP News)

Trait anger as a predictor of dangerous driving behaviour amongst people who use methamphetamine

“Methamphetamine is now the most common illicit substance detected among drivers injured or killed due to road trauma in Australia

Drivers affected by (meth)amphetamine are five times more likely to be killed, and over 6-times more likely to be injured in a traffic crash; more than double the risk reported for common impairing drugs such as benzodiazepines Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who use methamphetamine are also overrepresented in road trauma incidents requiring emergency care. Amphetamine-intoxicated drivers are up to 19 times more likely to be deemed responsible (culpable) for a motor vehicle collision compared to non-drug users, and they are significantly more likely to die as a result

Despite a reduction in self-reported use (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024) objectively, methamphetamine consumption in Australia continues to rise. Consequently, Australia now has one of the highest documented rates of methamphetamine use per capita, and the highest global age-standardised prevalence of (meth)amphetamine dependence.”

Conversely, low-to-moderate doses of methamphetamine can improve select, unidimensional psychomotor skills ostensibly related to driving, such as attention and perceptual processing speed however, this limited beneficial effect appears to be extinguished (and even maladaptive) at higher doses or during complex tasks or those requiring multi-tasking .

Negative emotionality and heightened levels of aggression are a pervasive, if largely anecdotal observation of individuals who consume methamphetamine. Individuals who consume methamphetamine cite elevated levels of self-reported aggression compared to drug-free controls.

Key Take-aways

• Methamphetamine is increasingly implicated in serious road-traffic incidents.
• Examining psychosocial factors may help identify predictors of dangerous driving behaviour.
• Licensed individuals who report predominant methamphetamine use were recruited.
• Trait Anger strongly and positively predicted dangerous driving behaviour in this cohort.
• Stable negative-emotional factors may increase harm through situational reactivity.

(Source: Science Direct)

Oral-fluid tests and training are helping officers track down potential impairment

Identifying when a driver is impaired by marijuana has long been difficult, partly because there isn’t a reliable drug test for impairment like there is with alcohol. Urine tests are useless because they can be positive for several days. Blood tests take time and relay levels of THC, the psychoactive compound that makes people high, that aren’t correlated with impairment. Field sobriety tests rely on the judgment of police officers, the vast majority of whom aren’t trained to look for cannabis impairment. 

Newer methods, such as roadside monitors that test a person’s saliva for marijuana are providing officers with some help. But they can only detect recent use, not the level of impairment, unlike tests for alcohol where levels in the blood, saliva, or urine are more closely related to impairment, say toxicologists.

Alcohol is water soluble and establishes a uniform concentration across tissues and organs, making it a reliable gauge of impairment. But THC is fat soluble and sequestered from the blood by the brain and other fatty tissues.

The concentration of THC in your blood falls by about 50% every 17 minutes even as impairment increases, said Barry Logan, president of the Centre for Forensic Science Research and Education. By the time someone is pulled over, arrested and taken to a hospital for a blood sample, hours have often passed.

More drivers in fatal accidents are testing positive for marijuana in states that consistently test.

Roadside oral-fluid tests give a yes or no answer, much like a home pregnancy test. Officers ask a driver to move a stick or swab around in their mouth. Testing kits vary but mostly involve officers using a swab or sponge on a driver’s cheeks and under their tongue. They then stick the device in a test tube or read them directly on a built-in indicator, which alerts law enforcement if there is at least a certain amount of THC in the driver’s system. The results typically come within about 10 minutes. 

Alabama was among the first states to start using the tests in 2018. They have since gone into widespread use in other states including Michigan and Indiana. In New York, lawmakers are considering a bill requiring the tests if law enforcement requests them after a crash.

In a 2023 review of roadside monitors used in Alabama by officers over five years, THC was detected in 90% of oral fluid versus 75% of blood samples from the same individuals.

When traces of cannabis are found, it still requires an officer’s judgment on whether the person is impaired. That means more training could help officers make better calls, law-enforcement officials say.

“It’s basically like a big puzzle that we are starting to piece together,” said Ryan Hutton, a state law-enforcement officer and founder of Extract-ED, which runs a program to teach police officers around the country how to identify whether a driver is impaired from cannabis.

Officers at the training watch as volunteers smoke cannabis and shortly after are put through roadside tests that drivers would experience if they were pulled over. If volunteers consume edibles, officers wait 60 to 90 minutes before testing. They check for the smell of marijuana, bloodshot eyes, lethargic movements and difficulty dividing their attention. When asked to provide a license and registration, the training showed that people who are high often only produce one or the other. 

Cannabis can also scramble a person’s internal clock, he said. When officers tell a person to put their head back, close their eyes and say when 30 seconds have passed, people who are high might stop after 10 seconds or wait more than a minute. 

The concentration of THC in your blood falls by about 50% every 17 minutes even as impairment increases. “When you’re driving, you’re always judging time and distance. You need to know where to stop, accelerate, pass, press the brake,” Hutton said. 

Outside Charlottesville, Va., in 2018 a dump-truck driver drove around a barrier and onto railroad tracks as an Amtrak train sped toward him, horn blowing. The crash derailed the train, killed a passenger in the truck and injured nearly a dozen people. Witnesses said that the truck had plenty of time to cross but that the driver paused, unable to quickly determine how to get around the second barrier. 

The driver had used marijuana, likely impairing his reaction time, investigators said. They said that the driver’s blood showed he had used marijuana, but that they couldn’t determine whether he was high.

 For complete article

A new study by the University of British Columbia (UBC) has revealed a concerning trend: cannabis is now the most commonly detected single impairing substance in blood samples taken from injured drivers across Canada.

Key Findings: The study, which analysed data from over 10,000 injured drivers in eight provinces between 2018 and 2023, found that 16.6% of drivers tested positive for cannabis, while 16.0% tested positive for alcohol. This marks a significant shift, as alcohol has historically been the leading cause of impaired driving.

However, it’s important to note that while cannabis is being detected more frequently, the levels found in most cases were not high enough to definitively indicate impairment and a direct link to the crash. The study highlights that drunk driving remains a more significant public health concern due to the much higher crash risk associated with alcohol consumption.

This ongoing UBC study collects anonymised blood samples from injured drivers who visit participating hospitals after motor vehicle collisions. The samples are then analysed for the presence of impairing substances.

Ongoing Research Focuses on Multiple Substances: The research also identified another concerning trend: polysubstance use. Over one-fifth (21.0%) of the injured drivers tested positive for a combination of impairing substances. This highlights the growing need for further research into the combined effects of different drugs on driving ability.

While the study findings suggest a shift in impaired driving patterns in Canada, more research is needed to understand the full implications. The relatively low levels of THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis) detected in most positive cases warrant further investigation into the relationship between cannabis use and crash risk. Additionally, the study emphasises the dangers of combining cannabis with other impairing substances.

Source: UBC

The intersection of marijuana legalisation and driving safety has become a focal point of concern, with experts highlighting the challenges posed by the lag in enforcement tools and data collection following the legalisation of cannabis. While the prevalence of marijuana use has increased, particularly noticeable in the context of driving, questions surrounding road safety and impaired driving have come to the forefront. This analysis delves into the complexities surrounding marijuana use and its implications for road safety, enforcement measures, and policy development:

Road Safety Concerns

The rise in the smell of marijuana in various settings, including on roads, has raised significant concerns regarding driving safety. With the increasing normalisation of marijuana use, the potential risks associated with impaired driving have become more pronounced, leading to alarms within the community and among experts.

One of the key challenges highlighted by experts is the absence of specific data on cannabis-related crashes, particularly in regions like Long Island. The lack of comprehensive data collection mechanisms hampers efforts to understand the extent of marijuana’s impact on road safety, hindering the development of targeted interventions and policies.

Experts note that the pace of marijuana legalisation has outstripped the implementation of effective enforcement measures and policy frameworks. This discrepancy raises concerns about the adequacy of existing enforcement tools, the need for clearer guidelines on THC levels, and the overall readiness of law enforcement agencies to tackle impaired driving effectively.

Rising Impaired Crashes

Despite the lack of precise data, reports indicate an increase in impaired crashes, underscoring the urgent need for proactive measures to address the growing concerns related to marijuana use and driving. The rise in deadly impaired crashes serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of impaired driving under the influence of cannabis.

To address the enforcement challenges and policy gaps, there have been calls from Long Island DAs for tougher laws governing impaired driving. Recommendations include clearer THC guidelines, enhanced enforcement efforts, and the implementation of cannabis warning labels to raise awareness about the risks associated with marijuana use while driving.

Source: Archive