Marijuana Consumers - Driver Crash Rates Are Rising According to IIHS and AAA

More and more evidence seems to be piling up against the active community that is pro-legalization for marijuana. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and another by partner Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI,), have shown a spike in crash rates where legalization of marijuana for recreational and retail use has been granted. What does this mean for current marijuana users? Well, time to find out.

Now, this isn’t a new subject as you can find documents and PDF reports (attached to this article) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that go back to 2015, stating that “a positive marijuana test was not associated with increased risk of being involved in a police-reported crash,” but what is different is the newfound rise in reported crashes.

According to the study carried out by IIHS, more than a third of U.S. states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use for adults 21 and older, and with that, sparks are already flying, or should I say bumpers and fenders?

In states where marijuana is legalized and retail sales begins, the following 3 to 18 months are usually met with an increase of 6.6% in injury crash rates, and a “nonsignificant” 2.3% increase in fatal crash rates. But these estimates vary from state to state with some reporting as high as an 18% increase in injury crash rates.

There’s also evidence to sustain some of this information. According to the report by IIHS, driving simulator tests show that drivers who are under Mary’s spell, react more slowly, have a shorter attention span, and even difficulty maintaining the cars position in its lane.

On the hand, results also show that drivers under the influence of the good ol’ burning bush are likely to drive at slower speeds (crusin’ it’s called), make fewer attempts at overtaking, and keep much more distance between themselves and the vehicles ahead.

The report also states that despite an increase in crash rates, studies to show whether marijuana alone was to blame, have been inconsistent. One thing worth noting is the inclusion of another substance in these incidences, alcohol. A report by the AAA shows an increase in traffic incidents and violations when both substances are used simultaneously.

With recent polls showing 68% of American adults favoring legalization, these numbers are soon to be under even more scrutiny as more and more states adopt marijuana legalization. If you don’t think states will continue to legalize marijuana use, you’d have to check the tax revenues coming in because of marijuana legalization; nearly $8 billion in tax revenue since recreational sales launched according to marijiuanamonument.

Let’s not mention the industrial uses this plant also brings. Heck, automakers like BMW and Lotus readily use hemp in their vehicles. Even Henry Ford has been known to dabble with cannabis and unveiled the Plastic Hemp car in 1941.

IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey say this about the results, “Our latest research makes it clear that legalizing marijuana for recreational use does increase overall crash rates. That’s obviously something policymakers and safety professionals will need to address as more states move to liberalize their laws — even if the way marijuana affects crash risk for individual drivers remains uncertain.”

However, it’s not all bad news for cannabis babies. Some states have reported a drop in incidents involving marijuana, but until further test and trials where marijuana is singled out and tested, and are conclusive, you’ll just have to worry about your insurance claims, oh, which, too, have seen an increase according to the study.

For now, this and other studies should at least be considered, because whether alcohol is involved or not, or people report their accidents, isn’t the issue. The issue is that there’s this new cat on the block and he seems to be affecting some people’s ability to drive a car, and that’s not ok.

Maybe the future will bring more conclusive results, more refined tests and surveys, or maybe, people will have to take driver’s license tests while under the influence of marijuana to see if they are capable of handling two tons of steel.