AAA Study: Rising Impaired Driving Risk Due to Cannabis Use

COPPELL, TX — Cannabis is now the third most commonly used substance in the U.S., after nicotine and alcohol.

According to AAA, this is not surprising since cannabis is legal in some form in 38 states—24 for recreational use and 14 for medical use. As more people use cannabis, driving under the influence has become more common, increasing the risk of crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently conducted two studies to understand why cannabis users drive under the influence and how to prevent it.

“Understanding what motivates cannabis consumers to drive under the influence can be helpful in developing effective safety strategies,” said Dr. David Yang, president of the AAA Foundation.

The first study surveyed cannabis users about their habits and thoughts on driving after using cannabis. Some key findings included:

• 44.1% use cannabis multiple times a day.
• 57.8% drive every day.
• 84.8% drive on the same day they use cannabis, with 53% using it within an hour of driving.
• 46.9% believe cannabis doesn’t affect their driving or even makes them drive better.
• 38.6% trust safe driving messages from the cannabis industry.

The second study focused on the most effective ways to prevent impaired driving. Participants preferred messages about personal responsibility and safety over legal consequences. They also wanted realistic and positive messages that felt more relatable.

"Effective messaging about cannabis-impaired driving needs to include credible voices, real-world scenarios, and respectful language," said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy.

The research shows that cannabis users trust the cannabis industry and find its messages relatable. This gives policymakers a chance to work with these groups to create strong messages about the dangers of impaired driving. Partnering with the traffic safety community could also help boost public education efforts. Some important takeaways from the research are:

• Messages should address common myths about cannabis in a respectful way.
• Cannabis affects drivers in ways that are harder to measure than alcohol. These effects can vary but might include:
  • Fatigue or sleepiness
  • Brain fog
  • Changes in vision or hearing
  • Difficulty moving
  • Hallucinations or delusions
• Even though it’s harder to detect cannabis impairment, police can still identify it.

AAA urges policymakers, the cannabis industry, and traffic safety groups to use these findings to help reduce impaired driving.