That conclusion, startling because we’ve been conditioned to believe that drunk driving is the great killer on U.S. highways, is courtesy of a just-released report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
In 2015, the most recent year available, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) found that drugs were present in 43% of fatally-injured drivers, more than alcohol, the report released today says. Over one-third (36.5%) of identified drugs were marijuana in some form, followed by amphetamine (9.3%). No alcohol was found in 60.9% of those tested, and a positive BAC was detected in 37.3%.
The study also notes that of 82 drivers arrested for DUI in the Miami area, 41% tested positive for some drug.
In experimental settings, marijuana impairs psychomotor skills and cognitive functions associated with driving, including vigilance, time and distance perception, lane tracking, motor coordination, divided attention tasks, and reaction time, the report says.