1. AAA Drugged Driving Summit│ January 26, 2015 │ Tampa, FL
National Perspective on Drugs & Traffic Safety
Jake Nelson MPH, MPP
AAA Drugged Driving Summit│ January 26, │ Tampa, FL

2. Road Map… Drugs & Driving by the Numbers
Drugs/Marijuana & Driving: Challenges
Prescription/OTC Drugs & Driving

3. How big of a problem is it?
Surveys:
2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 
10.3 million people aged 12 or older
Men > Women
Drivers ages 18-25
NHTSA’s 2007 National Roadside Survey
Day – 11%
5% illegal, 4.8% Rx/OTC, 0.5% combo
Night – 14.4%
10.5% illegal, 3% Rx/OTC, 0.9% combo
Among drug (+) drivers, 28% also (+) for alcohol

4. How big of a problem is it?
Crash Data:
1 in 3 fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs other than alcohol
THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana – 2nd most common drug
THC ~ greater likelihood of fault in crashes
Neg Effect on a driver’s attentiveness, judgment and perception of time/speed
Hard to measure the exact contribution of drug intoxication to traffic crashes

5. Marijuana & Driving

6. Road Map… Drugs & Driving by the Numbers
Drugs/Marijuana & Driving: Challenges
Prescription/OTC Drugs & Driving

7. Marijuana & Driving: Challenges
Recreational and Medicinal Use
Chronic v. Occasional Use
Presence v. Impairment
Justification for per se Limit
Duration of Impairment
Concentration of THC

8. Challenges Data & Research Public Awareness & Understanding
Public Policy

9. Crash Risk by % BAC
DRUGS?

10. Traffic Safety Culture
Nationally representative survey
Web enabled
U.S. residents
Ages 16+
> 3,000

11. Drug Impaired Driving 56% - very serious threat
for somebody to drive after using illegal drugs (vs. 66% for alcohol)
56% - very serious threat
for somebody to drive after using prescription drugs
28% - very serious threat
Nearly 1/3 drivers didn’t know how marijuana affects driving
8 of 10 drivers think driving w/in an hour of using marijuana increases crash risk
Of those drivers who reported being users of marijuana
> 1/3 of drivers reported droving w/in one hour of using marijuana in the past year

12. Attitudes About Countermeasures
68% support requiring all new cars to have built-in alcohol ignition interlock technology
78% support requiring ignition interlock use by all drivers convicted of DWI (even first-timers)
63% support lowering the legal BAC limit from .08 to .05
>80% of drivers support a per se law for marijuana, yet 54% didn’t know if their state had such a law

13. Marijuana Legalization Laws
December 2014
(D.C.)
Legalized for recreational and medicinal use
(4 states + D.C. pending Congressional review)
Legalized for medicinal use only (19 states)
Not legal (27 states)

14. Road Map… Drugs & Driving by the Numbers
Drugs/Marijuana & Driving: Challenges
Prescription/OTC Drugs & Driving

15. Prescription Drugs: It’s Complicated
Problem:
no script
not as prescribed (too much/little, timing, alcohol, polymedication, etc.)
Caution: Please don’t scare patients
Safe once patient stabilized

18. Older Adults > 90% take prescription medications
> 2/3 take multiple medications
< 20% had received warning from HCP

19. Shifting Demographics

20. AAA.com/RxDrugs

22. Quick Recap: Challenges
Data & Research
Public Awareness & Understanding
Public Policy

23. QUESTIONS?
Jake Nelson