Legalized marijuana linked to rise in car crashes.

[tahoebum]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

 

[fupresti]

It would be interesting to show some data on the severity of accidents involving people high versus drunk.

 

[TheDoctor]

Don't know if they are used in the US, but here in the UK the police have drug testing kits that they use if they pull someone over who they suspect is under the influence of alcohol or drugs

 

[tpluff]

So much for backing up this "quote" in the marijuana on the course thread....THPer name removed.

Mild to moderate THC consumption actually improves focus, driving abilities, and lowers accident rates.

Unless it's all the sober people not living in the fog getting in the way of the enhanced capabilities of the stoned and causing accidents.:laughing:

 

[tahoebum]

It would be interesting to show some data on the severity of accidents involving people high versus drunk.

The scary thing is 46% of drivers involved in accidents are now impaired(a big jump from 10 years ago) and many are mixing marijuana with alcohol.

 

[dacatalyst41]

Interesting points you've made and ones that I've discussed extensively with friends here. There are a few companies pioneering impairment testing methods for marijuana related traffic stops but it seems they have a ways to go. Inability to accurately measure impairment makes it difficult to legislate.

What's also interesting is that I too moved from Sacramento to Minnesota at one point. Didn't know anyone else in America ever made that jump. Haha.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[tahoebum]

Interesting points you've made and ones that I've discussed extensively with friends here. There are a few companies pioneering impairment testing methods for marijuana related traffic stops but it seems they have a ways to go. Inability to accurately measure impairment makes it difficult to legislate.

What's also interesting is that I too moved from Sacramento to Minnesota at one point. Didn't know anyone else in America ever made that jump. Haha.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I grew up in the Twin Cities and can’t believe how much I missed it here after living in California for 20 years. Our quality of life is so much better. I wish we would have exited California a long time ago!

 

[Reframmellator]

Don't know if they are used in the US, but here in the UK the police have drug testing kits that they use if they pull someone over who they suspect is under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Something like it is coming in the colonies, too. Analytical chemistry for law enforcement. This from the LA Times:

Police are using new mouth-swab tests to nab drivers under the influence of marijuana and other drugs
By KRISTINA DAVIS
MAR 17, 2017 | 9:00 AM

Police are using new mouth-swab tests to nab drivers under the influence of marijuana and other drugs
Drivers on pot could be detected with new device. (Los Angeles Times)
San Diego police have a new way to confirm the presence of marijuana and other drugs in impaired drivers — a mouth-swab device that is already being used by police departments in more than a dozen states and is expected to become more popular with the legalization of marijuana.

The two Dräger DrugTest 5000 machines, which cost about $6,000 each, were donated by the San Diego Police Foundation last week.

They are expected to debut Friday night at the St. Patrick's Day DUI checkpoint in downtown San Diego.

The machine, about the size of a mini bookshelf stereo system, tests for the presence of seven drugs — marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamine, methadone and benzodiazepines. The device does not read the level of intoxication; drivers would have to take a blood test for that information.

"It's a huge concern of ours with the legalization of marijuana that we're going to see an increase in impaired drugged driving," Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said at a news conference Thursday near the Ingraham Street Bridge in Mission Bay, a common DUI checkpoint spot.

California voters approved the use and cultivation of recreational marijuana by passing Proposition 64 in November.

To prepare for the effects of the law, a team of San Diego narcotics officers went to Denver to learn how Colorado has fared since recreational marijuana was legalized there and found that the region has seen an uptick in drugged driving, Zimmerman said. The numbers have been growing in California as well.

In 2014, 38% of drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in California tested positive for drugs, whether legal or illegal, according to the state Office of Highway Safety. That's up from 32% the year before.

"We want to get these impaired drivers off the streets," the chief said.

The Dräger 5000 premiered in the U.S. in 2009 and is used by police in places such as Los Angeles, New York, Arizona and Nevada, as well as in other countries such as Australia, Belgium and Germany.

In San Diego, the machines will be used primarily at DUI checkpoints for now.

Like the handheld preliminary alcohol screening devices frequently used in the field to test for booze, drivers cannot be forced to submit to a Dräger 5000 test.

Officers trained to recognize the symptoms of drug impairment will first look for various indicators that a driver is high, such as an unsafe driving maneuver, bloodshot eyes, the odor of marijuana and blank stares, San Diego police Officer Emilio Ramirez said. Once there is ample suspicion of drug use, the officer can then request to perform field sobriety tests or for a driver to take the Dräger 5000 test.

If the driver refuses at that point, the officer can force the person to submit to a blood test.

To use the machine, the driver is handed a mouth swab and instructed to run it around the inside of the mouth for up to four minutes. The swab is then placed into the machine, along with a vial of testing solution, and the machine does its work. It takes about six to eight minutes for results to print out.

A positive result will likely send the driver to a police phlebotomist for a blood test to determine precise drug levels.

If the mouth swab test is negative but the officer still has a suspicion of impairment, then a blood draw might still be mandated, because the Dräger 5000 measures for only seven kinds of narcotics, Ramirez said.

When it comes to detecting marijuana, the machine only looks for the active THC compound that is responsible for the high. That component, delta-9 THC, can stay in a person's system for a few hours or longer, depending on how the cannabis was ingested and how the person's body processes the drug. The machine does not look for the inactive THC compounds, which can stay in a person's system for weeks, police said.

In other words, if someone legally smoked marijuana two days ago, there would be nothing to worry about if tested on the machine.

Evidence from the Dräger 5000 will be admissible in court, although the machine is not expected to have a notable effect on how drugged driving cases are prosecuted, attorneys said.

Under California law, there is no legal threshold for the amount of drugs in a person's system when it comes to driving. Alcohol cases are more black and white — a .08% blood-alcohol level or higher is illegal.

Officers and prosecutors have instead had to rely on subjective measures and observations to build a case of drug impairment, which can be different from person to person.

Davis writes for the San Diego Union Tribune.

 

[golfinnut]

Now that Canada has legalized it, will their stats rise as well?

 

[BigDill]

Now that Canada has legalized it, will their stats rise as well?

There will be a slight increase in traffic accidents, but a significant increase in apologies after a traffic accident.

 

[DataDude]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

I worked in auto claims for 4 years for Allstate, the bolded is one of the biggest factor in your auto insurance rates if you are a safe driver. Any area with high rates of uninsured motorists is going to have high rates. Another big factor is how litigious your area is. If people sue each other a lot and juries are friendly to those suits you will have higher rates as well. That really factors in when the insurance company is predicting liability payouts from year to year.

 

[mancest]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

That isn't a surprise, California is probably the most expensive state for pretty much everything, with LA and the Bay area being the tops. I moved from Oregon to Oakland and my insurance rates tripled. What I wonder is how do they know that the people driving while under the influence of marijuana weren't doing the same when it was illegal?

I didn't partake when it was illegal, don't partake now that it is legal. Personally I am of the opinion of legalize EVERYTHING and tax the hell out of it, but I don't think that is a popular opinion.

 

[Space Bandito]

I didn't partake when it was illegal, don't partake now that it is legal. Personally I am of the opinion of legalize EVERYTHING and tax the hell out of it, but I don't think that is a popular opinion.

I'm with you here on everything.

Posted on Tapatalk via my Motorola RAZR

 

[Schanker]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

That's not what it said. It said 14% of drivers had marijuana in their system - Not that they were impaired. If alcohol stuck stayed in your system like marijuana anyone that had a few beers a week would be driving around 100% of the time with it in their system.

The thing that shocks me the most is you what your were paying for car insurance. I pay $1500/year in California for insurance for my wife and I and our 3 cars. We have no tickets and no driving under the influence of marijuana thought :act-up:.

 

[BuckNasty]

That's not what it said. It said 14% of drivers had marijuana in their system - Not that they were impaired. If alcohol stuck stayed in your system like marijuana anyone that had a few beers a week would be driving around 100% of the time with it in their system.

The thing that shocks me the most is you what your were paying for car insurance. I pay $1500/year in California for insurance for my wife and I and our 3 cars. We have no tickets and no driving under the influence of marijuana thought :act-up:.

I don't even think you can insure 3 bicycles in NJ for $1500.

 

[OGputtnfool]

That isn't a surprise, California is probably the most expensive state for pretty much everything, with LA and the Bay area being the tops. I moved from Oregon to Oakland and my insurance rates tripled. What I wonder is how do they know that the people driving while under the influence of marijuana weren't doing the same when it was illegal?

I didn't partake when it was illegal, don't partake now that it is legal. Personally I am of the opinion of legalize EVERYTHING and tax the hell out of it, but I don't think that is a popular opinion.

I don't think you really mean everything. That's a stretch.

 

[mancest]

I don't think you really mean everything. That's a stretch.

I know what I mean and I mean everything in a drug sense. If you want to smoke crack have at it, you want to snort a few lines of cocaine, go for it. Just tax the living hell out of it, and if you are caught driving impaired you lose your license for 10 years plus insane amounts of fines. I am of the mind that we should be policing our own individual self so why let criminals make money when it might relieve a) the burden on tax payers and b) reduce costs of prosecuting and incarcerating minor crimes?

I would guess prostitution will be legalized in more states in the next 15-20 years if not sooner but don't think that has any impact on insurance/driving statistics.

 

[SHIFTY]

Well in my province to be impaired is .08 with alcohol (4ish beer), and you lose your license for a year on first offense.
here's with drugs;
Drug-Impaired Driving

Zero tolerance for all drivers
Immediate licence suspension
Vehicle seized for up to 60 days
Licence suspension for up to 5 years if convicted

Impaired Drivers with Passengers Under 16 adds to penalty

Vehicle seized for up to 60 days
Licence suspended for up to 120 days
Licence suspension up to 18 months for new drivers

Don't think too many people will risk it here, Pretty sure there were thousands upon thousands that were driving and operating equipment high before legalization, but now the penalties are stiffer than when it was illegal. And alot of those people won't risk it. Personally in places with the proper penalties, the number will go down. Only way it will go up is that they are now testing like crazy, which they never did before so logically the numbers are quite skewed, and with such a small amount of time as a sample, I'm hesitant to believe the validity of that study.

 

[golfer_teej]

I grew up in the Twin Cities and can’t believe how much I missed it here after living in California for 20 years. Our quality of life is so much better. I wish we would have exited California a long time ago!

I went to college in California and then moved back to Minnesota. I miss some things out there but I dont miss the cost of living, traffic, and not having a fall season

 

[kevin81002]

Well in my province to be impaired is .08 with alcohol (4ish beer), and you lose your license for a year on first offense.
here's with drugs;
Drug-Impaired Driving

Zero tolerance for all drivers
Immediate licence suspension
Vehicle seized for up to 60 days
Licence suspension for up to 5 years if convicted

Impaired Drivers with Passengers Under 16 adds to penalty

Vehicle seized for up to 60 days
Licence suspended for up to 120 days
Licence suspension up to 18 months for new drivers

Don't think too many people will risk it here, Pretty sure there were thousands upon thousands that were driving and operating equipment high before legalization, but now the penalties are stiffer than when it was illegal. And alot of those people won't risk it. Personally in places with the proper penalties, the number will go down. Only way it will go up is that they are now testing like crazy, which they never did before so logically the numbers are quite skewed, and with such a small amount of time as a sample, I'm hesitant to believe the validity of that study.

I can believe that. I went through the ND border checkpoint like 15 years ago and was there for 12 hours because one of the swabs they took on my rental car came back positive for methamphetimines... or however you spell it. Led to a full search of me, the car and my luggage and toolboxes because someone at some time touched the steering wheel in that rental car with meth. They said they had a seized car in impound from 5 years ago that still tests positive. insane.

 

[MagicSpell]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

Maybe this will help with the bolded part of your quote:

 

[JRod]

Interesting article now that we’ve had enough time to measure accidents rates in pot legal states vs. other states. https://www.whec.com/news/legalized-marijuana-linked-to-a-sharp-rise-in-car-crashes/5112965/

I see a couple problems with legalized marijuana’s effect on drivers: many consider pot safer than alcohol and don’t hesitate to drive stoned, how do police measure how stoned someone is when they make a traffic stop? Also interesting that 14% of THC impaired drivers had children passengers.

One thing is for sure, insurance companies will hike rates for these marijuana legal states with higher rates of traffic accidents just like they do for all other driver risks. Our car insurance went down 45% moving from Sacramento to Minneapolis, a savings of $1,800 per year after going from 3 cars insured to 4. I asked my insurance agent why and they said lower risks mainly due to fewer car thefts, fewer uninsured drivers, and lower accident rates.

My insurance rate went up pretty substantially just moving to a different zip code in the same city .

It’s crazy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BigDill]

Maybe this will help with the bolded part of your quote:

That is interesting. Down where I live, the officer just walks to your window holding a bag of Cheetos, opens it while staring you in the face, and eats a single one while watching your reaction. If you ask for one, you are busted.

 

[bassing33]

$1,800 will buy some nice golf equipment or some great rounds of golf. That's my kind of savings.

 

[tahoebum]

That's not what it said. It said 14% of drivers had marijuana in their system - Not that they were impaired. If alcohol stuck stayed in your system like marijuana anyone that had a few beers a week would be driving around 100% of the time with it in their system.

The thing that shocks me the most is you what you were paying for car insurance. I pay $1500/year in California for insurance for my wife and I and our 3 cars. We have no tickets and no driving under the influence of marijuana thought :act-up:.

Our insurance was $950 per year until we started adding teenagers to the policy who are now 21 and 18. We have no tickets, no accidents, the good student discount and were paying $4,060 per year for the four of us on 3 vehicles. We moved to Minnesota and added a new $105k Range Rover to our policy and it dropped to $2,200 per year!