STUDY FINDS CANNABIS NOT CAUSE OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS

The largest study ever done linking road accidents with drugs and alcohol
has found drivers with cannabis in their blood were no more at risk than
those who were drug-free. In fact, the findings by a pharmacology team from
the University of Adelaide and Transport SA showed drivers who had smoked
marijuana were marginally less likely to have an accident than those who
were drug-free.

A study spokesman, Dr Jason White, said the difference was not great enough
to be statistically significant but could be explained by anecdotal
evidence that marijuana smokers were more cautious and drove more slowly
because of altered time perception. The study of 2,500 accidents, which
matched the blood alcohol levels of injured drivers with details from
police reports, found drug-free drivers caused the accidents in 53.5 per
cent of cases.

Injured drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration of more than 0.05 per
cent were culpable in nearly 90 per cent of accidents they were involved
in. Drivers with cannabis in their blood were less likely to cause an
accident, with a culpability rate of 50.6 per cent. The study has policy
implications for those who argue drug detection should be anew focus for
road safety. Dr White said the study showed the importance of concentrating
efforts on alcohol rather than other drugs.

Checked-by: Richard Lake