![Legal Weed Conjures Worries About Impaired Driving](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2014/04/LLC_2388-630x417.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Legal Weed Conjures Worries About Impaired Driving
WASHINGTON (AP) — Safety advocates worry that more drivers high on pot will lead to a big increase in traffic deaths as states liberalize their marijuana laws.
Researchers who have studied the issue are divided.
Marijuana can slow decision-making, decrease peripheral vision and impede multitasking — all those are important driving skills.
But unlike with alcohol, stoned drivers tend to be aware they're impaired. And they try to compensate by driving slowly, avoiding risky actions such as passing other cars, and allowing extra room between vehicles.
Combining marijuana with alcohol appears to eliminate that caution and increase driving impairment beyond the effects of either substance alone.
Jonathan Adkins of the Governors Highway Safety Association says legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington is a wake-up call for safety advocates.
More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL
![Texas Cannabis Users ‘Hiding’ in Plain Sight? 10 Telltale Signs](http://townsquare.media/site/34/files/2019/03/GettyImages-454241880.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Louisiana’s Colorful Senator Pleads with Colleagues over Mayorkus Impeachment Trial](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/04/attachment-FEATURED-IMAGE-8.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![New Orleans Leaders Increase Pressure on Legislature to Carve Out Gun-Free Zone](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/04/attachment-FEATURED-IMAGE-6.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Over 150,000 Without Power as Southwest Louisiana, Acadiana Hammered by Storms](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/11/attachment-GettyImages-1410222420.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Texas Powerball Wins Confirmed – 9 Tickets Claim $750,000](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2016/04/168962459.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Brazen Louisiana Thieves Take Tide Pod Crime to the Next Level](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/03/attachment-Untitled-design-14.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Three Men To Face Trial in Louisiana in Connection with Horrific Murders](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/03/attachment-Untitled-design-64.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Buc-ee’s Will Open Several Locations This Year – Is Louisiana Getting Another?](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/11/attachment-5-Best-Locations-for-a-Buc-ees-in-Acadiana.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![House Passes Bill That Would Ban TikTok in Louisiana, U.S.—Here’s What’s Next](http://townsquare.media/site/33/files/2022/12/attachment-GettyImages-1227952185.jpg?w=980&q=75)