A cluster analysis of 910 Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use identified four distinct profiles, from well-adjusted youth with mild symptoms to individuals with generalized deviance and high psychological distress.
Traffic safety researchers, prevention program designers, and policymakers addressing cannabis-impaired driving.
4 distinct profiles among 910 young adults who drive after cannabis
What the researchers found
Four subgroups emerged: (1) frequent cannabis users who regularly drive after using; (2) individuals with generalized deviance, diverse risky road behaviors, and high psychological distress; (3) alcohol and drug-impaired drivers who were also heavy drinkers; and (4) well-adjusted youths with mild depressive-anxious symptoms.
Why it matters
Not all cannabis-impaired drivers are the same. Prevention campaigns and interventions that treat them as a single group may miss the distinct motivations and risk profiles that drive the behavior.
The numbers in context
910 cannabis users with driver's licenses, ages 17-35. Four distinct subgroups identified. Analysis included driving-related behaviors, cannabis use patterns, and psychological distress measures.
How the study worked
Two-step cluster analysis of 910 Canadian cannabis users ages 17-35 with a driver's license who reported driving after cannabis use. Clustering based on driving behaviors, cannabis use and related problems, and psychological distress.
What this study cannot tell us
Self-selected online sample of people who admitted to driving after cannabis use. Canadian sample may not generalize to other countries. Cross-sectional design. Self-reported driving behavior.
How to read the evidence
Large sample with validated cluster analysis methodology, but self-selected and cross-sectional.
When this study was published
Published in 2022.
The bigger picture
The finding that one subgroup drives impaired as part of generalized deviance while another consists of otherwise well-adjusted youth suggests fundamentally different intervention approaches are needed.
Questions still open
- Which subgroup is at highest crash risk? Would targeted messaging work better than universal anti-impaired-driving campaigns?
Common questions
Are all people who drive after using cannabis the same?
Which cannabis-impaired drivers are most dangerous?
Read the original research
Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.
Behavioral sciences & the law, 40(2), 310-330
Citation
Huỳnh, Christophe; Beaulieu-Thibodeau, Alexis; Fallu, Jean-Sébastien; Bergeron, Jacques; Jacques, Alain; Brochu, Serge. (2022). Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.. Behavioral sciences & the law, 40(2), 310-330. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2575