Drugs and Road Safety

From a road safety perspective, cannabis is already second only to alcohol as the drug most frequently found among drivers involved in crashes and drivers charged with impaired driving. It is also the most frequent drug found mixed with alcohol usage in vehicle crashes.

Drugs and driving has been an issue in road safety public policy for decades but only recently came to the forefront as a major issue of concern to Canadians, with the federal government’s commitment to legalize marijuana. CAA believes government and other stakeholders must focus their attention on making sure that the legalization of marijuana does not increase the frequency of drug-impaired driving. We note that the state of technology to determine impairment is a work-in-progress. Equally important is polling that suggests that there is a lack of public education around the effects marijuana has on a driver’s ability to safely control their vehicle.