Why young people ride with cannabis-impaired drivers and what changes their minds
Young people cited trust in the driver and routine driving contexts as reasons for riding with cannabis-impaired drivers, while legal concerns and growing safety awareness acted as deterrents.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 105 young adults from a national cohort study, two themes facilitated riding with cannabis-impaired drivers: familiarity with driving context and trust in the driver. Legal concerns deterred it during high school, while safety concerns emerged in young adulthood.
Key Numbers
105 participants interviewed; 4 trajectory classes (Abstainer, Escalator, Decliner, Persister); interviews conducted March-September 2020
How They Did This
Qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured Zoom interviews with 105 participants from the NEXT Generation Health Study, a 7-year national cohort. Participants were purposively selected from four previously derived RWI/DWI trajectory classes.
Why This Research Matters
Most cannabis-impaired driving research focuses on the driver. This study examines the often-overlooked passenger perspective, revealing that riding with impaired drivers happens during routine daytime activities rather than just late-night party scenarios.
The Bigger Picture
Prevention programs targeting cannabis-impaired driving may need to address passengers as well as drivers, and interventions may need to account for the everyday, normalized contexts in which these rides occur.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Qualitative design limits generalizability. Interviews conducted during COVID-19 may have affected recall or current driving patterns. Self-reported data subject to social desirability bias.
Questions This Raises
- ?How do passenger decisions about riding with impaired drivers differ by substance type?
- ?Would targeted passenger-focused interventions reduce cannabis-impaired driving exposure?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 105 young adults interviewed across 4 impaired-driving trajectory classes
- Evidence Grade:
- Qualitative interview study with purposive sampling from a single cohort; provides rich contextual data but limited generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published 2023
- Original Title:
- Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver.
- Published In:
- Accident; analysis and prevention, 193, 107300 (2023)
- Authors:
- Banz, Barbara C, Camenga, Deepa R(2), Li, Kaigang(2), Zuniga, Vanessa, Iannotti, Ronald J, Grayton, Candice, Haynie, Denise L, Simons-Morton, Bruce G, Curry, Leslie, Vaca, Federico E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-04399
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why do young people ride with cannabis-impaired drivers?
Participants cited trust in the driver and familiar, routine driving contexts as the main facilitators. Many rides happened during daytime hours for everyday activities.
What discourages riding with impaired drivers?
In high school, legal concerns were the primary deterrent. Safety concerns emerged later, during young adulthood.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04399APA
Banz, Barbara C; Camenga, Deepa R; Li, Kaigang; Zuniga, Vanessa; Iannotti, Ronald J; Grayton, Candice; Haynie, Denise L; Simons-Morton, Bruce G; Curry, Leslie; Vaca, Federico E. (2023). Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver.. Accident; analysis and prevention, 193, 107300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2023.107300
MLA
Banz, Barbara C, et al. "Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver.." Accident; analysis and prevention, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2023.107300
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired..." RTHC-04399. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/banz-2023-longitudinal-perspectives-of-riding
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.