Drug Driving

rollerbovinerollerbovine
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
<a href="http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992063"; target="_blank">http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992063</a>;



Thinking about driving drunk? Researchers say get stoned as well!



[ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: RollerBovine ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    In a scientifical point of vue, 15 volunters is not a big number. An other question, where come from this volunters : i doubt that i personaly accept to take marijuana to pass a test, i can drink a little, but i refuse to be drunk or to smoke pot .



    A very small amount of alcoohol have a paradoxal effect on driving : it improve it due to the relaxation. 0,15 g/L, above 0,50 the negative effect are coming, and things become more and more dangerous. So seem to work the pot.



    The marijuana seems to give a less dangerous way of driving than the alcoohol, but personaly if i think i have drink to much , i reduce my speed, because i do not want to die. Perhaps it's because the way alcoohol works on me, when i drink to much (not very often but if there is very good wines to taste ...i could not resist ) i become asleep, but never violent.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    I think is it best to be sober always when driving. Mainly because one has to be alert to the other drunks and stoners on the highway.



    Including of course the idiots who think they can cell phone, change their radio station, eat food, read the newpaper and getting or giving head at the same time while driving their gas guzzling SUV...
  • Reply 3 of 5
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    [quote]Originally posted by powerdoc:

    <strong>A very small amount of alcoohol have a paradoxal effect on driving : it improve it due to the relaxation. 0,15 g/L, above 0,50 the negative effect are coming, and things become more and more dangerous. So seem to work the pot.</strong><hr></blockquote>I've never heard of any studies like this. Can you point to some references that small amounts of alcohol or pot improve driving?



    Until you do, I don't believe it. By the same reasoning, being slightly sleepy would improve driving.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by BRussell:

    <strong>I've never heard of any studies like this. Can you point to some references that small amounts of alcohol or pot improve driving?



    Until you do, I don't believe it. By the same reasoning, being slightly sleepy would improve driving.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    For pot i don't know , but for alcoohol i will try to find it ( i have read this several years ago, my memory is suffisant to have remind this point, but not suffisant to remember where i take it.



    The explanation is simple, when you are relax, you drive better. A small amount (like 0,15 g/l) just decontract you but did not effect badly your central systems, at higher amount it only has reverse effects, and you become more relaxed, that's why so many people will increase there speeds.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    timotimo Posts: 353member
    [quote]Originally posted by BRussell:

    I've never heard of any studies like this. Can you point to some references that small amounts of alcohol or pot improve driving?



    Until you do, I don't believe it. By the same reasoning, being slightly sleepy would improve driving.<hr></blockquote>



    Not a study, but an interpretation: I suppose one line of reasoning states that since having a drink and driving, or getting high is illegal, people driving illegally under the influence are paying much more attention to the way they are driving, since having even a small accident could be legally catastrophic.



    The article states:

    [quote]But the study also found that drivers on cannabis tended to be aware of their intoxicated state, and drove more cautiously to compensate. Indeed, doped-up volunteers often rated themselves as being more impaired than police surgeons brought in to evaluate their sobriety.



    Surprisingly, drinking alcohol didn't offset this cautious behaviour, opening up the unproven possibility that a driver who is moderately drunk might be better off under some conditions if they had also smoked.<hr></blockquote>



    I don't buy the second paragraph's reasoning. With the constant threat of DWI convictions and the fact that without a car is like being without legs in this country, I'd say people tend to be scared stiff when driving with a few drinks.



    Drawing conclusions from this study is problematic at best.
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