Many prescription drugs act on systems in the brain that could impair diving ability. In fact, many prescription drugs come with warnings against the operation of machinery and motor vehicles for a specific period of time after use. When prescription drugs are taken without medical supervision (that is, when they are abused),  impaired driving and other harmful reactions can also result.²

Drugged Driving

Drug Information / The Brain / Link Up / Media Hype

Drugged Driving

Drugged driving is dangerous. Read the facts below and learn the risks. Drugged driving could have a negative impact on the rest of your life.

A majority (68%) of licensed teen drivers who use drugs regularly report that they "drug and drive." Research shows that smoking pot affects concentration, perception, coordination and reaction time - many of the skills required for safe driving - and these effects can last up to 24 hours.¹

Combining drug use with driving inexperience and risk-taking behavior can lead to disaster on the road. Nearly one in five 16-year-old drivers is involved in a collision in their first year of driving. Young people 15 to 20 years of age are involved in 14.4 % of all fatal crashed and 18% of all police-reported creashes.¹

In 2001, an estimated 38,000 high school seniors in the United States crashed while driving under the influence of marijuana and 46,000 crashed after driving under the influence of alcohol. Making a wrong turn at this important point in your life could have devastating effects on your future^.1

Evidence from both real and simulated driving studies indicates that marijuana can negatively effect a driver's attentiveness, perception of time and speed, and the ability to draw on information obtained from past experiences.²

Traffic crashes are the #1 killer of teens and over 1/3 of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related.³

1. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
    www.freevibe.com
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse
    www.nida.nih.gov
3. NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2003