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Risks while driving impaired by a drug When you drive a vehicle, your brain needs to be alert and focused. Even small amounts of a drug can affect your ability to drive safely. Different drugs act on your brain in different ways, but almost all affect your: attention judgment motor skills reaction time decision-making skills balance and coordination Serious accidents can easily happen when you drive while impaired by a drug. Many drivers who have collisions may have both drugs and alcohol in their system. Police can test drivers for alcohol-impairment using breath tests. Police across Canada trained as drug recognition experts have the tools and ability to determine if a person is impaired by drugs.

Drugs that contribute to collisions Studies of vehicle accidents around the world show that the drugs most commonly found in drivers involved in accidents (after alcohol) include: cannabis (marijuana) opioids amphetamines benzodiazepines cocaine Performance becomes even worse if drivers combine drugs, such as cannabis, with alcohol. Prescription drugs, can also impair driving. Legal drugs, such as opioid pain relievers and benzodiazepines (prescribed for anxiety or sleep disorders) can affect a person’s ability to safely control a moving vehicle. People who are prescribed these medications are warned by their pharmacist against operating any machinery, including vehicles, for a certain time after taking them. People who use these medications to get high may not even be aware of this danger.

Teenagers, drugs and driving: advice for parents Many car crashes involving teenagers are caused by inexperience and poor judgment. When these factors are combined with alcohol, cannabis or other drugs, the results can be tragic. According to the 2014-15 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey: 5% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported having driven a vehicle within 2 hours of cannabis use 15% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had used cannabis in the previous 2 hours Parents play a vital role in teaching young people to drive responsibly. That means teaching them not to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. There is no safe limit for young drivers, since even one drink or a small amount of a drug can affect them. Parents may wish to: discuss how drugs and alcohol can impair driving ability, affect perceptions, and slow reaction times remind teens that it is always illegal to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs make it clear that using alcohol, cannabis or other drugs when driving is dangerous discuss the dangers of getting into a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs model safe driving behaviour by never driving any vehicle impaired.