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.
Public health professionals, traffic safety researchers, prevention program designers
105 young adults interviewed across 4 impaired-driving trajectory classes
What the researchers 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.
Why it 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 numbers in context
105 participants interviewed; 4 trajectory classes (Abstainer, Escalator, Decliner, Persister); interviews conducted March-September 2020
How the study worked
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.
What this study cannot 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.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative interview study with purposive sampling from a single cohort; provides rich contextual data but limited generalizability.
When this study was published
Published 2023
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.
Questions still open
- How do passenger decisions about riding with impaired drivers differ by substance type? Would targeted passenger-focused interventions reduce cannabis-impaired driving exposure?
Common questions
Why do young people ride with cannabis-impaired drivers?
What discourages riding with impaired drivers?
Read the original research
Longitudinal perspectives of riding with a cannabis-impaired driver.
Accident; analysis and prevention, 193, 107300
Citation
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