View Poll Results: Which is more dangerous to use & drive ? Booze or Pot ?
I think Booze is more dangerous
7
21.21%
I think Pot is more dangerous
0
0%
I think they both are dangerous
21
63.64%
I don't think either are dangerous
5
15.15%
Voters: 33. You may not vote on this poll
DWI Versus DW-High
#1
12-01-2011, 11:11 AM
DWI Versus DW-High
DWI Versus DW-High 
~*
Is it more dangerous to drive drunk or stoned ? Do you know someone that drinks or get's high and drives ?
Do you believe it is a problem in our country/world ?
Should marihuana be legal ?
By Brian Palmer|Posted Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, at 5:40 PM ET
<!-- ARTICLE TOOLBAR --><!-- NOTE: keep tracking param, tid=sm_[fb, tw, p1]_[like, button, button]_toolbar, in data src hrefs for fb, twitter & +1. It's used for Omniture tracking. -->
<!-- ARTICLE BODY -->
<LABEL class=sl-art-illo-cap>Marijuana may not impair driving as much as alcohol
Medioimages/Photodisc.
</LABEL>
A new study suggests that legalizing medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities. The authors noted that legalizing marijuana reduces alcohol consumption, and people are more wary of driving high than drunk. Which drug is actually more dangerous on the road?
Alcohol, and it’s not even close. It’s hard to directly compare alcohol and marijuana, because driving impairment depends on dosage and the two drugs tend to affect different skills. (Pot makes drivers worse at mindless tasks like staying in a lane, while alcohol undermines behaviors that require more attention like yielding to pedestrians or taking note of stop signs.) Nevertheless, Yale psychiatrist Richard Sewell reviewed the academic literature on driving while intoxicated in a 2009 article, and found that alcohol is significantly more dangerous. Real-world data from auto accidents indicate that a drunk driver is approximately 10 times more likely to cause a fatal accident than a stoned driver. In most studies, smoking one-third of a joint or less has virtually no impact on a driver’s performance. A couple of studies even suggest that pot smokers are less likely to cause an accident than sober drivers.
It’s a little surprising that THC has such a small effect on driving. In experiments testing the skills required for driving—coordination, visual tracking, and reaction time—rather than driving itself, subjects under the influence of pot fare significantly worse than sober people. But when you put them behind the wheel of a driving simulator, tokers perform okay. Those who have taken in a moderate dose of the drug show minimal impairment, and very experienced smokers show almost no deficit at all. (Interestingly, habitual stoners are also better at driving drunk than ordinary people.)
^^Drunk Driver ^^
No one’s entirely sure how to explain these results. The dominant hypothesis is that people are more likely to be aware of—and, more importantly, compensate for—their intoxication when high than when drunk. Participants in one study who smoked one-third of a joint perceived themselves as being impaired, even though the experiment suggested they were not. By contrast, subjects who had two drinks thought they were fine, despite performing poorly in driving tests. In the driving simulators, pot smokers drove significantly slower than the drunk drivers, even with researchers reminding them to speed up. They also gave the car in front of them a lot more room and were less likely to pass. Alcohol, on the other hand, increases risk-taking behavior. Drunk drivers drive faster, tailgate, and pass recklessly.
Driving while high can be dangerous, though. At larger doses of THC, problems emerge. Very high drivers can’t stay in a lane, react more slowly to yellow lights and unexpected obstacles, and are unaware of their speed. Epidemiological studies show that drivers with a blood THC level of more than 10 ng/mL—about one-half of a joint—are far more likely than sober drivers to cause an accident. It’s more difficult to estimate your blood THC concentration than your blood alcohol concentration, because of inhalation irregularities and the metabolism patterns of the drug, which aren’t as well understood as those of alcohol.
The most consistent result of the driving studies is that taking marijuana and alcohol together creates a much greater hazard than taking either one alone. Drivers who are drunk and high seem to suffer from the worst effects of both drugs: They meander, pass recklessly, drive too fast, take unnecessary risks, and are unaware of their incapacity.
***Member's post your thoughts/comments/opinions ***
Thanks
~*Is it more dangerous to drive drunk or stoned ? Do you know someone that drinks or get's high and drives ?
Do you believe it is a problem in our country/world ?
Should marihuana be legal ?
By Brian Palmer|Posted Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, at 5:40 PM ET
<!-- ARTICLE TOOLBAR --><!-- NOTE: keep tracking param, tid=sm_[fb, tw, p1]_[like, button, button]_toolbar, in data src hrefs for fb, twitter & +1. It's used for Omniture tracking. -->
<!-- ARTICLE BODY -->
<LABEL class=sl-art-illo-cap>Marijuana may not impair driving as much as alcohol
Medioimages/Photodisc.
</LABEL>
A new study suggests that legalizing medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities. The authors noted that legalizing marijuana reduces alcohol consumption, and people are more wary of driving high than drunk. Which drug is actually more dangerous on the road?
Alcohol, and it’s not even close. It’s hard to directly compare alcohol and marijuana, because driving impairment depends on dosage and the two drugs tend to affect different skills. (Pot makes drivers worse at mindless tasks like staying in a lane, while alcohol undermines behaviors that require more attention like yielding to pedestrians or taking note of stop signs.) Nevertheless, Yale psychiatrist Richard Sewell reviewed the academic literature on driving while intoxicated in a 2009 article, and found that alcohol is significantly more dangerous. Real-world data from auto accidents indicate that a drunk driver is approximately 10 times more likely to cause a fatal accident than a stoned driver. In most studies, smoking one-third of a joint or less has virtually no impact on a driver’s performance. A couple of studies even suggest that pot smokers are less likely to cause an accident than sober drivers.
It’s a little surprising that THC has such a small effect on driving. In experiments testing the skills required for driving—coordination, visual tracking, and reaction time—rather than driving itself, subjects under the influence of pot fare significantly worse than sober people. But when you put them behind the wheel of a driving simulator, tokers perform okay. Those who have taken in a moderate dose of the drug show minimal impairment, and very experienced smokers show almost no deficit at all. (Interestingly, habitual stoners are also better at driving drunk than ordinary people.)
^^Drunk Driver ^^
No one’s entirely sure how to explain these results. The dominant hypothesis is that people are more likely to be aware of—and, more importantly, compensate for—their intoxication when high than when drunk. Participants in one study who smoked one-third of a joint perceived themselves as being impaired, even though the experiment suggested they were not. By contrast, subjects who had two drinks thought they were fine, despite performing poorly in driving tests. In the driving simulators, pot smokers drove significantly slower than the drunk drivers, even with researchers reminding them to speed up. They also gave the car in front of them a lot more room and were less likely to pass. Alcohol, on the other hand, increases risk-taking behavior. Drunk drivers drive faster, tailgate, and pass recklessly.
Driving while high can be dangerous, though. At larger doses of THC, problems emerge. Very high drivers can’t stay in a lane, react more slowly to yellow lights and unexpected obstacles, and are unaware of their speed. Epidemiological studies show that drivers with a blood THC level of more than 10 ng/mL—about one-half of a joint—are far more likely than sober drivers to cause an accident. It’s more difficult to estimate your blood THC concentration than your blood alcohol concentration, because of inhalation irregularities and the metabolism patterns of the drug, which aren’t as well understood as those of alcohol.
The most consistent result of the driving studies is that taking marijuana and alcohol together creates a much greater hazard than taking either one alone. Drivers who are drunk and high seem to suffer from the worst effects of both drugs: They meander, pass recklessly, drive too fast, take unnecessary risks, and are unaware of their incapacity.
***Member's post your thoughts/comments/opinions ***
Thanks
Last edited by Space; 12-01-2011 at 11:16 AM.
#2
12-01-2011, 11:33 AM
I think driving while under the influence of anything is wrong no matter if its drinking or getting high or watever it is if it affects you enough to impare ur driving its highly dangerous, ive been there i driven while drinking & not proud of it either, nvr got high though been against drugs,
#3
12-01-2011, 11:45 AM
I saw this too. I can not do either and drive. For mayself both are dangerious. I am not against either except neither should be partaken of and then get behind the wheel of an automobile.
#8
12-02-2011, 02:18 AM
Impaired driving is impaired driving. It doesn't matter the drug of choice. I've been hit by a drunk driver back in 86. I was driving a tow truck and he headed for my beacon. He tried to take me head on. I gave him the passenger side of the truck. He came in at the passenger door, went under the truck, tore the rear end out and came out the back hitting the car I had in tow breaking it loose and then doing a 180 in the middle of the road. He was driving a 78 Chevy Monza coupe and walked away with nothing more than a scratch. His Chevy Monza looked like one of those Mack trucks with half a cab. I was driving a 1969 Chevy C-30 one ton with a Canfield Wrecker body and boom on the back. I was towing a 76 Datsun B-210 hatchback. When it came loose it flipped on its roof and passed me on the left. All three vehicles were junk. I fractured my back and whip lashed my neck.
I have no sympathy for impaired driving. I have no problem if you want to party and don't care what your drug of choice is. I personally think pot should be legalized. I don't see it as being any different than using alcohol, and tobacco. None of them are healthy and they all are addictive. Just stay out of the drivers seat.
I have no sympathy for impaired driving. I have no problem if you want to party and don't care what your drug of choice is. I personally think pot should be legalized. I don't see it as being any different than using alcohol, and tobacco. None of them are healthy and they all are addictive. Just stay out of the drivers seat.
Last edited by mousehousemoparman; 12-02-2011 at 02:23 AM.
#9
12-02-2011, 05:33 AM
<H3>Ignorance is bliss definition
Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.
I must be more comfortable ~>
Thanks Member's for your posts/comment's/contributions on this subject...
