Stoned Drivers Are Killing More and More Innocent Victims

The Daily Signal ^ | 5/12/16 | Cully Stimson

[milton23]

According to the Washington State Marijuana Impact Report, the incidents of marijuana-impaired driving are increasing dramatically. Fatal driving accidents have risen 122 percent between 2010 and 2014, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. Marijuana is big business in Washington state. There are more marijuana businesses than Starbucks in Washington state (despite the fact that Starbucks was founded in Seattle).

The traffic safety organization AAA has its own reports on marijuana use among drivers in fatal crashes, and the picture is equally bleak.

[miss marmelstein]

Gee. And who would have predicted this?

[Iron Munro]

Legalized dope smoking

Brought to you by the same hypocrites who go bat-crap-crazy over smoking cigarettes and owning guns.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Dave’s not here.

[PJBankard]

Oh man, a co-worker of mine is going to have to eat his words. I’m just super excited since he is a Bernie Sanders fan.

[jsanders2001]

> Gee. And who would have predicted this?

Certainly not the gubmint who loves the taxes it generates or the medical marijuana scrip writers. As long as the gubmint can make money off something no matter how wrong or damaging it is they will deem it legal. The deaths and accidents are just collateral damage. Not their problem.

[thoughtomator]

government wants power and money... film @ 11

[miss marmelstein]

You make an excellent point.

[Be Careful]

I am of the opinion that Washington State should be a co-defendant in these cases....they have usurped Federal law, which still holds pot to be an illegal substance, enforced by the DEA and the US Coast Guard.

Therefore, they have created an environment that contradicts Federal law, thereby aiding and abetting these crimes/accidents

[Gator113]

I voted against it, so I can say: “I told you so”.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Hokay. Given as a percentage of what it was before, so we have no context of other fatalities.

[HiTech RedNeck]

And “Federal law” has usurped the 10th Amendment. Having 9 black robes contradict the Constitution doesn’t make the Constitution wrong.

[SaveFerris]

Yes, no big surprise here.

[remaxagnt]

Agree this whole thing is crap. Government is not my moral police 420 every day

[Lagmeister]

Politicians want big pharma campaign contributions. Personally, I would question any and all of the stats used. Dangerous addictive prescription drugs pushed on the public through the medical system are the ultimate danger.... Well, that and the cheap heroin that the pot dealers have handy.

[Tailback]

So what are the overall DUII fatality rates during the same time period?

Have Marijuana fatalities gone up while alcohol fatalities gone down? Were the MJ fatality drivers tested for alcohol also?

Interested to know.

[WVKayaker]

ALMOST HALF OF ALL DRIVERS WHO WERE KILLED IN CRASHES AND TESTED POSITIVE FOR DRUGS ALSO HAD ALCOHOL IN THEIR SYSTEM.
-http://www.madd.org/statistics/

In 2014, 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.1
Of the 1,070 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2014, 209 (19%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.1
Of the 209 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2014, over half (116) were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver.1
In 2014, over 1.1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.3 That’s one percent of the 121 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.4
Drugs other than alcohol (legal and illegal) are involved in about 16% of motor vehicle crashes.5
Marijuana use is increasing6 and 13% of nighttime, weekend drivers have marijuana in their system.7
Marijuana users were about 25% more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use, however other factors – such as age and gender – may account for the increased crash risk among marijuana users.5
-http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html

[HiTech RedNeck]

States and lower entities should be the focus of sumptuary laws, according to the original constitutional structure of the US.

At any rate, figures in a vacuum like this couldn’t possibly tell us how many people quit drinking in favor of pot smoking but didn’t otherwise gain a lick of sense in the process.

[fr_freak]

I am of the opinion that Washington State should be a co-defendant in these cases....they have usurped Federal law, which still holds pot to be an illegal substance, enforced by the DEA and the US Coast Guard.

So, in other words, you are against the entire system of federalism that the United States of America was based on, and would prefer all power reside in a central government in Wash DC. Fascinating.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Interesting the overlap cases.