Canada’s DUI problem involves drugged as well as drunk driving

Drugged driving is a serious issue in Canada, as the latest research suggests.
August 10, 2018 Read time: 1 min

Drugged driving is a serious issue in Canada, as the latest research suggests. While drunk driving has, to an extent, been addressed the risks posed by drugged driving remain. With the legal restrictions on the use of cannabis looking to be eased in Canada, the problem of driving under the influence of the drug has yet to be fully tackled.

Young drivers in particular are thought to be at risk. Research by the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada suggests that almost twice as many teenaged drivers will get behind the wheel when under the influence of cannabis than when under the influence of alcohol.

More worryingly still, research suggests that as many as 34% of teen drivers think they perform better behind the wheel when under the influence of cannabis. The drug causes driver impairment in a different way to alcohol, affecting distance perception and attentiveness in particular, although the slowing of reaction times it causes is similar to that resulting from alcohol use.

Related Content

  • Brake praise police after UK fall in festive drink-drug drive cases
    January 29, 2014
    UK road safety charity Brake has praised police for their greater efforts to catch drink and drug drivers over the festive period, and welcomed news that drink drive arrests were down while breath-tests were up. A total of 6,550 people were arrested in the month-long police enforcement campaign over Christmas and New Year, 573 less than during the same period last year, according to figures released by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The drop in arrests comes despite an increase in enfor
    Read More
  • Salerno Pompei Napoli wins A3 concession
    April 14, 2022
    The consortium Salerno Pompei Napoli will manage the A3 Autostrade for 25 years.
    Read More
  • Safer roads needed for the gig economy
    May 14, 2019
    Roads everywhere are becoming high-pressure workplaces for millions of gig economy workers, meaning traffic police need a new way to regulate how highways are used. Geoff Hadwick reports from Manchester, UK The way in which the world’s highways are designed, built and used needs to change fast as the gig economy becomes a global phenomenon. Millions of low-paid and badly-trained freelance drivers are now using road as their workplace, all of them working hard under huge amounts of pressure. The tren
    Read More
  • New report suggests older drivers are safe
    December 4, 2012
    A new report by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in the UK suggests that older drivers are as safe as drivers from all other age groups, and perhaps more so. The study shows older drivers have better attitudes to safety, deal with hazards better than young drivers and use experience to increase their safety margins on the road. The report reveals that drivers over 75 react just as quickly as other age groups when a vehicle emerges from a side road or if the car in front brakes suddenly on a rural r
    Read More

Highlighted Content