However, the head of the traffic safety administration, in announcing the results, said that, while those results showed considerable success in efforts to eliminate drunk driving but that driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs is rising.
The study found that 15 percent of drivers were found to have an illegal drug in their system, an increase of 20 percent since 2007. In particular, the use of marijuana by drivers increased by nearly 50 percent.
“Drivers should never get behind the wheel impaired, and we know that marijuana impairs judgment, reaction times and awareness,” said Jeff Michael, NHTSA’s associate administrator for research and program development. “These findings highlight the importance of research to better understand how marijuana use affects drivers so states and communities can craft the best safety policies.”
The study did find that marijuana users were 25 percent more likely to be involved in an accident but pointed to “other factors” rather than marijuana use itself “such as age and gender” saying they “appear to account for the increased crash risk among marijuana users." For example, young men are both more likely to use marijuana and more likely to be involved in crashes.
