Among nearly 1,500 young Canadian cannabis users, those who perceived cannabis-impaired driving as low risk were more likely to be male, use cannabis frequently, and have friends who drove after using.
Traffic safety researchers, prevention campaign designers, and public health professionals
1,467 cannabis-using drivers surveyed
What the researchers found
Lower risk perception of driving after cannabis use was associated with being male, weekly-to-daily cannabis use, personal engagement in cannabis-impaired driving, general risky driving behaviors, being a passenger with an impaired driver, number of friends who drive after cannabis use, and peer approval. Having also driven drunk and living in urban areas were associated with higher risk perception.
Why it matters
Low risk perception is one of the strongest predictors of actually driving after cannabis use. Identifying who holds these perceptions can help target prevention messaging.
The numbers in context
1,467 Canadian drivers aged 17-35; factors predicting low risk perception: male sex, weekly-to-daily use, personal DACU, risky driving history, peer DACU, peer approval; factors predicting higher risk perception: DUI-alcohol history, urban residence, recent traffic tickets, irritability/cognitive problems
How the study worked
Cross-sectional online survey of 1,467 Canadian drivers aged 17-35 who used cannabis in the past year. Multivariate linear regression identified factors associated with perceiving low risk from driving after cannabis use.
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine whether low risk perception leads to behavior or vice versa; self-selected sample of cannabis users; self-reported data; Canadian sample may not generalize to other contexts
How to read the evidence
Reasonably sized cross-sectional survey with multivariate analysis, but cannot establish causality between risk perception and behavior.
When this study was published
2024 study
The bigger picture
The role of peer norms in shaping risk perception suggests that social environment may be as important as individual characteristics in determining who drives after using cannabis.
Questions still open
- Why would having driven drunk increase cannabis-DUI risk perception? Could targeted campaigns for frequent male cannabis users in rural areas reduce impaired driving?
Common questions
Who is most likely to think driving after cannabis is safe?
What made people see cannabis-impaired driving as more risky?
Read the original research
Factors related to the low-risk perception of driving after cannabis use.
Accident; analysis and prevention, 202, 107584
Citation
Huỳnh, Christophe; Beaulieu-Thibodeau, Alexis; Fallu, Jean-Sébastien; Bergeron, Jacques; Jacques, Alain; Brochu, Serge. (2024). Factors related to the low-risk perception of driving after cannabis use.. Accident; analysis and prevention, 202, 107584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2024.107584