‘Dramatic’ spike in crashes on 4/20
Fatal collisions involving young drivers increase by 38 per cent after pot-smoking celebrations
The risk of a fatal accident among young drivers spikes by 38 per cent in the hours after 4/20 celebrations, according to new research from UBC and the University of Toronto.
The finding suggests that mass marijuana celebrations may not be entirely without consequences.
John Staples, a professor of medicine and researcher at UBC’s Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, said people aged 20 and younger had a much higher risk of a fatal crash on April 20 from 4:20 p.m. until midnight compared to the same period one week before and one week after.
Governments contemplating policies to deter so-called drugged driving in the wake of cannabis legalization should pay special attention to young drivers, he said.
“It was a dramatic effect with that young group,” he said. “We know that younger drivers are more vulnerable because they lack experience and possibly due to risk-taking behaviour.”
B.C. is preparing new regulations in anticipation of the nationwide legalization of recreational cannabis planned for July 1 and at that time anyone over the age of 19 will be able to purchase and possess up to 30 grams of marijuana for recreational use.
Earlier this week, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said the provincial government will impose a 90-day driving ban for drug-impaired drivers. He also promised increased training for police to recognize impairment and zero tolerance for cannabis for drivers in the graduated licensing program.
It is not clear how impairment will be defined and whether there is a reliable test for impairment due to cannabis intoxication.
“It’s before the Senate and it’s one
of the areas I’ve said where we have real concern about the equipment, the test that’s being used and when it will be ready,” Farnworth told reporters.
Staples and University of Toronto professor Donald Redelmeier examined 25 years of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data on all fatal traffic crashes in
the United States between 4:20 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on April 20 and the same period a week after and before.
The analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed a 12 per cent increase in fatal crashes across all age groups on April 20 after 4:20 p.m.
Recent 4/20 celebrations in major
cities have attracted tens of thousands of revellers since becoming popular in 1991. The celebrations often feature synchronized mass consumption of cannabis at exactly 4:20 p.m.
Data that definitively links these fatal crashes to cannabis intoxication does not exist because testing regimes vary dramatically between
states.
“It’s a remarkable number and a pretty straightforward natural experiment,” said Staples. “The simplest explanation is that some drivers are impaired by cannabis and these drivers contribute to fatal crashes.”
— With a file from Derrick Penner.