Stoned drivers are dangerous
Dear editor: Re: “Alcohol worse that marijuana,” by Mark Billesberger, Courier letters, June 11.
With the date drawing nearer for the legalization of marijuana, it is disturbing to see some of the cavalier attitudes towards its use, especially when operating a motor vehicle.
In a recent letter to the editor, one such view was put forward and the writer claimed that “anyone who knows anything about marijuana understands that it does not affect your driving skills the way alcohol does.”
This is the type of irresponsible attitude that contributes to serious injuries and loss of life on the highways, not to mention higher insurance rates. We can only hope with the impending legalization of marijuana, and it becoming more readily available, that the number of stoned drivers and carnage on the roads doesn’t increase.
It may not impair your driving skills in exactly the same way as alcohol, but the following are some sobering claims that I found on the BCAA website:
• 20 per cent of young drivers in Canada believe a driver who is high is the same or better behind the wheel and that eight per cent of drivers involved in serious accidents test positive for cannabis.
• Cannabis doubles the risk of being in a collision (versus a sober driver) because the THC in cannabis can impact cognitive skills needed for safe driving and affects your coordination, reaction time, concentration, decision making and ability to judge distances.
I believe that the research done by BCAA is likely far more reliable and accurate than the personal opinion of the writer who suggested that cannabis does not impair your ability to drive.
It doesn’t matter if it’s alcohol, cannabis or some other drug — if it impairs your ability to drive as safely as possible and causes you to get involved in an accident that injures or kills innocent victims.
I am not suggesting that marijuana is any worse than alcohol, but when it comes to mixing either with driving they are both equally bad choices.
If you don’t believe it, just ask the family members of one of the 66 (on average) who are killed each year in B.C. due to impaired driving. Guy Bissonnette Lake Country