As reported by CNN, in the States where marijuana is legalized, an increase of car accidents. On Tuesday, the national Council for transport safety (National Transportation Safety Board — NTSB) issued a press release in which it stated that across the country there is an increase in the number of drivers operating vehicles under the influence of cannabis.
For example, the NTSB reported that the probable cause terrible head-on collision of the bus with a truck in 2017 in Texas (where cannabis is not legalized) was that the 20-year-old truck driver was under the influence of marijuana, and sedative drug.
In a press release, Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt States: «law Enforcement agencies need training and additional tools to quickly identify drivers who violate the law before they get in an accident, regardless of what kind of drug [medicine] they use.» Recall that in all States it is prohibited to drive a vehicle after consuming marijuana or any other similar substance.
A call to action from the NTSB echoes a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which was published on Thursday. Despite the fact that the study for 2017 showed that the legalization of pot did not affect the increase in deaths on the roads in these States, in General, still an increase of car accidents.
The report is based on two studies:
- In the first it was found that in Washington, Colorado and Oregon 6% increase in the number of accidents compared to neighboring States where marijuana was not legalized. Estimated the rate of collision of the insured vehicle with a control difference in the number of factors influencing the emergency situation (for example, age, position of the driver, location, weather conditions).
- In the second considered the incidents furnished by the police before and after the legalization of pot. The conclusions were similar: the number of accidents increased by 5.2%, after its legalization.
