A new survey suggests most Manitobans are against drug-impaired driving.
Eight in 10 people said driving after consuming cannabis was “unacceptable” in a Manitoba Public Insurance survey of 1,500 Manitobans.
The survey comes on the heels of MPI’s newest public awareness campaign to curb drug impaired driving.
“The legalization of non-medical marijuana has changed the landscape of road safety,” said Satvir Jatana, vice-president responsible for Communications, MPI, in a news release. “Medical studies and research from leading organizations have reported marijuana use compromises reaction time and the ability to make safe decisions on the road.”
Drivers who used cannabis are 1.8 to 2.8 times more at risk of being involved in a fatal crash, according to an MPI news release, which sourced the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
Other highlights of the survey include the following points:
- Eight in 10 Manitobans say:
- It’s unacceptable to drive after consuming marijuana (78 per cent)
- It’s likely for a driver to cause a collision when driving under the influence of marijuana (76 per cent)
- Five per cent of Manitoba drivers admit to driving after consuming marijuana (driving within two hours of consuming marijuana within in the past two months) which equates to one in 20 drivers
In Manitoba, the penalty for driving with a blood drug concentration over five nanograms of THC can include a licence suspension, vehicle impoundment, an impaired driver assessment, moving five levels down the Driver Safety Rating scale, and Criminal Code charges.
