CRASHES |  |
"In a 1996 survey of drivers 16 years and older, more than one fourth reported that they occasionally drove while under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or both. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol is the predominant drug factor in fatal crashes and marijuana is the second most common drug factor in crashes" (Driving Impairment from Marijuana and Alcohol, American Family Physician, October 1, 2000.) We know that in 1997 there were 16,520 alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Though testing for marijuana and other drugs is seldom done because of the cost and inconvenience, ongoing research has been done since 1994 in the City of Memphis, Tennessee and Shelby County. An interesting finding is that although the county has less than 50% conviction/guilty plea rate for DUI-alcohol there is nearly a 100% conviction/guilty plea rate for DUI-drugs, and it is not uncommon for offenders to write expressing gratitude for the fact that they received treatment before they were the cause of a traffic fatality. The research and testing done in Memphis was published the August 25, 1994 New England Journal of Medicine.
"After alcohol, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana's major psychoactive constituent, is the drug which is found most often in the blood of drivers involved in road accidents." (Marijuana use and driving, Institute for Human Psychopharmacology) "A recent study sponsored by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) involving analysis of nearly 2000 fatal accident cases, found 6.7 percent of drivers positive for marijuana." (Claim: Marijuana is a major cause of highway accidents, Zero Zero Cannabis and driving report) "While both alcohol and marijuana alone impaired driving performance, severe impairment was noted in subjects after combined alcohol and marijuana use. The mean reaction time increased from 4.65 seconds at baseline to 6.33 seconds when drivers were under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. This difference represented a 36 percent performance decrement in reaction time." (Driving Impairment from Marijuana and Alcohol, American Family Physician, October 1, 2000.) | 
