File Under: Really, Sherlock?

Here at HensonFuerst, we are big fans of scientific research. Scientists are some of the unsung heroes of society. So it is with all due respect that we find ourselves having to say:  Was this research really necessary?

Decades of research have shown that drivers who drink alcohol have an increased risk of being involved in a car wreck. By now, it seems intuitive to say that any alcoholic or drug-induced impairment affects judgment and driving ability. Which is why we’re not sure why this research research was necessary. It seems like more money being spent to state the obvious

According to an article in ScienceDaily, researchers at Columbia University examined the link between marijuana use by drivers and risk of a car wreck. Results showed that drivers who test positive for marijuana or report driving within three hours of marijuana use are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. They also found that the more marijuana smoked, and the more frequently it is smoked, the higher the risk.

This is important because the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that over 10 million people age 12 or older are estimated to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in the prior year.

The analysis indicates that 28% of fatally injured drivers and more than 11% of the general driver population tested positive for non-alcohol drugs, with marijuana being the most commonly detected substance.

We believe that it is important to crack down on all forms of impaired driving, regardless of whether the impairment is due to marijuana, prescription drugs, alcohol, texting, or even talking on a cell phone. Impairment is impairment. It seems that a better use of research funds would be to find more ways to get people to understand that message, and to prevent impaired driving in the first place.

To read the full article on ScienceDaily, click here:  Marijuana Use May Double the Risk of Accidents for Drivers

To learn more about what you can do in the event of a car wreck injury, visit our website at https://www.hensonfuerst.com/. If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.

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