Cannabis Impaired Driving

Driving High is Driving Impaired

CAA has worked for decades to raise awareness about the dangers of driving impaired.

Cannabis is legal in Canada, so we want to make sure everyone uses it responsibly. Make a plan, and don’t drive high.

CAA’s Do Anything but Drive campaign encourages young Canadians who do not associate the same risks of impaired driving with smoking cannabis or doing edibles to plan ahead and make arrangements for a safe way home. The message: if you’re going to do edibles, do anything but drive raised awareness about the long-lasting effects of cannabis edibles and the risks of cannabis-impaired driving. So far this campaign has reached over 3 million Young Canadians and counting.

Do anything but drive

Myths about cannabis and driving

Cannabis doesn’t affect my ability to drive

False. Driving under the influence of cannabis affects your ability to drive safely and you’re at a greater risk of getting into a collision.

I’m not going far so it’s okay

False. 45% of incidents happen near the home. Driving in a familiar setting makes drivers less attentive, and cannabis has been shown to reduce a driver’s concentration.

Police can’t check if I’ve consumed weed

False. Police officers across Canada can administer roadside tests to check for impairment. These can include testing devices or calling in specially trained drug recognition officers.

How does cannabis affect your driving

Reaction time

Decision accuracy

Ability to stay in lane

Ability to avoid obstacles

Research into effects of cannabis on driving

Young Canadians are at risk of a vehicle crash even five hours after inhaling cannabis, according to a CAA-funded peer-reviewed study conducted at McGill University.

The research found that driving performance declined significantly, in key areas such as reaction time, even five hours after inhaling the equivalent of less than one joint. The participants’ driving performance, tested in a driving simulator, deteriorated as soon as they were exposed to common road distractions.

Download study