MARIHUANA AND DRIVING

Survey studies have found that marihuana use is increasing and that users frequently drive under its influence. But there is little direct epidemiological evidence to indicate if the presence of marihuana in drivers increases accident probability. However, there is a large body of experimental evidence indicating that marihuana impairs the performance of skills important for driving. Perceptual and attention functions show large decrements under marihuans with a less certain deficit for various tracking functions. Marihuana studies in driving simulators have found the greatest deficit in perceiving and responding to potential dangers from the environment. Simulator studies of risk taking have found no evidence for impairment. Several studies of performance in actual cars have also demonstrated performance decrements but the behavioral functions impaired have not been clarified. In summary the experimental evidence suggests strongly that mairhuana use while driving produces a performance impairment. /Author/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • Moskowitz, H
• Publication Date: 1976-2

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 21-26
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Driver performance; Drivers; Drugs; Hazards; Highway safety; Marijuana; Personnel performance; Risk assessment; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00131669
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 5 1976 12:00AM