High Driving Is Impaired Driving

Driving High

Why cannabis and driving don’t mix

When cannabis is consumed, its active ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) travels through your body and into your brain and affects the parts that are critical for driving safe. People experience different effects from different forms of cannabis, and while body size and composition, individual tolerance and dose all play a role in how high you get, none of this matters when it comes to driving – cannabis and driving just don’t mix and it's illegal to drive impaired.

The Risks

A CAA funded study and clinical trial shows that cannabis may impair your ability to drive safely for even FIVE hours after inhaling. Learn more.

While the study has shown that it takes at least 5 hours for an average cannabis user to be sober enough to operate a motor vehicle safely, it is not yet known how long it would take for users who’ve ingested cannabis. Cannabis doubles the driver's risk of being in a collision because the THC in cannabis can impact cognitive skills needed for safe driving, affecting your:

Coordination

Reaction Time

Concentration

Decision Making Abilities

Ability to Judge Distances

Sobering Facts

Even 5 HOURS after inhaling cannabis, you may still be impaired to drive safely

20% of millennials (18-34 years old) in Canada have the dangerous misconception that a person who’s high can drive the same or better

8% of drivers involved in serious motor vehicle accidents test positive for cannabis

Nearly 1 in 5 British Columbians have driven after smoking cannabis or been in a car driven by someone who had recently smoked cannabis

Check out our campaign “High Driving is Impaired Driving”

20% of millennials think they drive the same or even better when high. At the same time, millennials also take impaired driving seriously and more have been designated drivers than any other generation. See how the millennial generation can take the lead in preventing their peers and other generations from driving high.
Watch our videos.