Posted on September 2, 2010

As teens are learning how to drive and getting their first few years of experience on the road, many of them are also exploring the perceived benefits of illegal drugs. Is it any wonder that the two may become combined? The result is a drugged driver on the road who is not only under the influence of a mind-altering substance, but also lacks any proven experience on the road that may help to avoid disaster.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 16 and 19. The Center points to the combination of a lack of experience on the road and the use of marijuana and other substances as leading to tragic results when these teens get behind the wheel.

According to a NIDA Monitoring the Future survey, more than 12 percent of high school seniors admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana in the two weeks prior to participating in the survey in 2008. In the state of Maryland, the 2007 State of Maryland Adolescent Survey found that 11.1 percent of licensed adolescent drivers got behind the wheel on three or more occasions. Another 10 percent reported driving while under the influence of a drug other than marijuana.

It may seem confusing for a teen to understand why driving under the influence of a drug can be dangerous. Even teachers and parents may be at a loss to understand the associated impact, given the intensive scrutiny applied to drinking and driving. Much like alcohol, however, drugs can alter perception, attention, balance, cognition, coordination and reaction time, as well as other functions necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Marijuana especially is often understood in its relationship between driving and use. Too often, users will associate its risk as nothing more than driving with a cigarette clasped between the fingers. What may not be understood is that unlike cigarettes, marijuana contains THC, which affects areas of the brain that control the movements of the body, including coordination, balance, memory and judgment.

Extensive research into this area, including 60 experimental studies, shows that behavioral and cognitive skills in relation to operating a motor vehicle are impaired in a dose-dependent fashion when THC is present in the blood. In addition, marijuana plays on the driver’s attentiveness, perception of time and speed and the ability to draw on lessons learned in past experiences. In other words, it can turn someone who has been driving for two years into a first-time driver.
Experts in the field continue to urge more research into the relationship between drugged driving and disastrous results. They also encourage lawmakers and those in education to develop materials to inform new drivers of the risks for themselves and others on the road if they use drugs and then drive.