Most people behind the wheel on Arkansas roads are safe and responsible. However, a study has found that some who use substances have driven under the influence. This is a scary situation that puts other road users at risk.
Details of the study
The study, performed by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, determined that two out of five drivers admitted to using alcohol or cannabis over a year’s time. This equates to 40% of all individuals driving under the influence of such substances. Both alcohol and cannabis lead to intoxication, making it dangerous for driving. The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Intoxication leads to more accidents
According to one of the study leaders, the participants included over 34,000 people aged 16 and older. Each person involved in the study admitted to using alcohol or cannabis or both substances and driving. Some of the individuals faced arrests for DUI or DWI and were spread out over some states in which cannabis was legal and others where it’s still illegal even for medicinal purposes. Participants were mostly white males with lower incomes.
The study also uncovered that when alcohol or cannabis was readily available to participants, they were more likely to drive while impaired. A senior research associate from the University of Michigan who was not involved in the study pointed out that the findings show that most DUI cases involve more than just alcohol as substances like cannabis are now more widely available.
Another person not associated with the study, a lecturer at Yale School of Public Health, said that people who regularly use alcohol or cannabis should know they don’t have to feel impaired to be unsafe to drive. She stressed the need to find alternative transportation after consuming such substances to avoid a potential DUI accident.