Americans are More Worried about Texting than Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis
Americans are more concerned about distracted drivers who text than drivers who operate their vehicles under the influence of cannabis, according to a survey released on November 28. The survey was conducted by Harris Poll for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
While 91 percent of respondents said driving under the influence of cannabis is dangerous, only 40 percent said they believe that driving under the influence of cannabis is a contributing factor in auto collisions. But 99 percent of respondents said using social media is dangerous while driving, and 98 percent said texting while driving is dangerous.
Distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,477 people in 2015 alone, according to the United States Department of Transportation.
Robert Gordon is senior vice president of policy development and research for PCI. “Public education and awareness at home and school are an important step to educating teens on the dangers of driving under the influence. There have been extensive efforts to reduce crashes and deaths from driving under the influence of alcohol and distracted driving—we need to add driving under the influence of marijuana to the list of dangers on the road,” Gordon told U.S. News.
Gauging the effects of cannabis on drivers is no easy feat, despite all the speculation on the topic. There is no definitive answer, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Young drivers aged 18-34 are most likely to drive high at six percent. Interestingly, those aged 55-64 were close behind at two percent. In the survey, young drivers 18-34 were also slightly more likely to choose cannabis over alcohol when driving, which was at five percent.
There have been plenty of cases for and against the effect of legal cannabis on traffic safety, taking cue from states that have legalized cannabis. One thing is clear—Americans believe using your phone for texing or social media is the worst thing you can do when you’re behind the wheel.
