The Effects of Marijuana on Driving Abilities

December 29, 2010

The Effects of Marijuana on Driving Abilities

Does driving while under the influence of marijuana make the roads more dangerous? According to researchers at Yale University, the answer to that question is a bit more complex than you might expect.

Certainly, marijuana affects an individual's responses and technical skills as a driver. When under the influence of pot, an individual's perception of time and speed are altered, attentiveness is reduced and motor coordination is affected. The New York Times notes that researchers G. Berghaus and B. Guo concluded that pot impairs "every performance area that can reasonably be connected with safe driving of a vehicle."

However, despite these findings, it is not clear that those who drive under the influence of marijuana are significantly more dangerous than those driving sober. In controlled laboratory experiments, drivers who are stoned generally perform almost as well as those who are sober.

How can this be? It may be that those under the influence of pot recognize their impairments and adopt behaviors to compensate. For example, stoned drivers may drive more slowly than their sober counterparts and may maintain a greater following distance, thereby ensuring that they have more time to respond in the event of a sudden stop.

Of course, the results found in a laboratory do not automatically translate to the real world -- and research outside of the lab is less conclusive. Some studies suggest that stoned drivers are more likely to cause car accidents than those not driving under the influence of any substances, while others find them less likely to cause motor vehicle collisions.

Regardless of the actual effects of marijuana usage, though, such use is likely to weigh heavily against a person who is believed to have caused a car accident. For example, consider the recent case where a 21-year-old Arizona man pleaded guilty to manslaughter following a car accident where another person was killed. The young man admitted to using marijuana a few hours before the fatal crash, a fact which was arguably reflected in his 19-year prison sentence.

Ultimately, though, any car accident is the product of the particular circumstances of the moment -- not an abstract understanding of what might cause an accident. If you or someone you love has been injured as the result of a car accident, make sure to discuss your situation with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.

Article provided by Rosenstock & Azran
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