How Dangerous is Driving High?

Did you know that more than 9 percent of all teen drivers admit to driving while high? Yet, teens are not the only ones who drive under the influence of drugs. In 2016, almost 12 million people drove a vehicle under the influence of drugs. These drivers cause serious and fatal accidents. In fact, according to the CDC, 16 percent of all motor vehicle crashes were caused by a driver who was high at the time. 

Drugs Impact Our Brain in Different Ways

Different drugs impact our brains and our abilities to drive in different ways. Because of this – there is no “safe” way to drive high. 

For example, marijuana use slows a person’s reaction time and impairs their judgement. They may fail to stop for a child crossing the road, or even fail to notice a jogger on the road. 

Cocaine, on the other hand, can result in aggressive or reckless driving behavior. Drivers under the influence of stimulant drugs like cocaine may exhibit road rage or other dangerous driving behaviors. 

Driving High Impairs Driving Because Drugs Often Cause Drowsiness. 

Driving while high is dangerous because it makes you tired. This happens mostly after the immediate effects of the drug wear off. After smoking marijuana, blood flow to the eyes decreases and this causes redness in vision. 

Also, people who have smoked marijuana have experienced various degrees of peripheral vision loss including side vision (peripheral blocking), blurred vision, and double vision. 

With all these factors combined, fatigue sets in quickly when a driver is high. This can be especially dangerous while driving because it can cause the driver to fall asleep at the wheel.

Driving High Increases Chances of a Crash

Another reason that driving while high can be dangerous is that it increases your chances of crashing into other people, objects, or vehicles. Marijuana users were about 25% more likely to get into a car crash than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use. 

Marijuana impairs motor skills, which means that it becomes difficult for you to operate a vehicle. Marijuana also affects perception and judgement by altering your time sense and creating slow reaction times as well as blurred vision. 

These problems combined with drowsiness from smoking too much marijuana in a short period of time may cause you to crash into another car or object if you are not careful about how you drive under the influence of marijuana.

Even in states like Colorado where recreational marijuana use is not against the law, it is still illegal to drive while high. 

You should never drive if you are high on marijuana. Stay at home or have someone else drive for you.

Contact Our Colorado Springs Car Accident Law Firm Today

Did you or someone you love get injured in an accident in Colorado Springs because of a high driver? If so, we can be there to help! Our car accident attorneys can help you collect the money you need to put your life back together again. Contact the Green Law Firm, P.C. today by calling (719) 694-8515, or by filling out the contact form on this page, to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and discuss your case.