DETROIT (AP) — A horrific crash that killed six highschool women in Oklahoma two years in the past has the pinnacle of the U.S. Nationwide Transportation Security Board urging dad and mom to warn youngsters concerning the threat of driving after utilizing marijuana.
Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy made the attraction to oldsters Thursday as her company launched the ultimate report on the March 22, 2022 collision between a tiny Chevrolet Spark hatchback and a gravel-hauling semi within the small city of Tishomingo.
The board, after an investigation by its employees, decided that the crash was attributable to the 16-year-old driver slowing for an intersection, then accelerating by a cease signal as a result of she probably was impaired by current marijuana use and was distracted by having 5 teen passengers within the automobile, the NTSB report stated.
In an interview, Homendy additionally stated the hashish drawback isn’t restricted to teenagers. As extra states have legalized leisure marijuana, teenagers and adults are inclined to underestimate the dangers of driving below its affect.
“There’s a notion that in states the place it’s authorized that it’s protected and authorized to drive impaired on marijuana,” she stated.
In its report on the crash, the NTSB cited research exhibiting that marijuana decreases motor coordination, slows response time and impairs judgment of time and distance, all essential capabilities for driving.
At present it’s authorized for folks 21 and older to make use of marijuana recreationally in 24 states plus Washington, D.C., in keeping with the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security. Oklahoma doesn’t permit leisure use, however like most states, it’s authorized for medical functions. Driving whereas impaired by marijuana is prohibited in all states and Washington, D.C.
The NTSB, which investigates transportation-related crashes however has no regulatory energy, put out a security alert Thursday urging dad and mom to speak to younger drivers about how marijuana can impair driving, and the way they’ll make accountable decisions to keep away from driving whereas impaired or using with impaired drivers.
Homendy stated states which have legalized marijuana are behind in ensuring folks know that it’s unlawful to drive below its affect. Over half of Individuals stay in a state the place leisure hashish use is authorized, she stated.
“Sadly, I feel state legal guidelines which might be legalizing leisure and medicinal use of marijuana have actually come earlier than ideas or motion on what are they going to do about visitors security,” Homendy stated. “They’re far forward on legalizing it, however very behind with regards to visitors security.”
States, she stated, want to gather extra information on how legalizing marijuana has affected visitors security, and they should begin imposing legal guidelines towards driving whereas impaired by hashish.
“Enforcement has acquired to be there with a purpose to deter,” she stated.
One research on crashes in Washington state, which has legalized leisure marijuana use, confirmed that extra drivers concerned in deadly crashes examined constructive for marijuana after it grew to become authorized, the NTSB stated.
In Tishomingo, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma Metropolis, six highschool women acquired into the automobile designed to hold 4 for a lunch break, the NTSB report stated.
At an intersection, the motive force slowed to 1 mile per hour (1.6 kilometers per hour), however accelerated and didn’t come to a whole cease for an indication. As a substitute, she sped up and turned left in entrance of the gravel truck. The truck driver braked and steered to keep away from the Spark, however hit the motive force’s facet at slightly below 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour). All six teenagers died of a number of blunt pressure accidents.
Assessments on blood taken from the motive force’s physique discovered a THC focus of 95.9 nanograms per milliliter, the NTSB stated. If such a stage of THC, the primary chemical part of marijuana, have been present in a residing individual, it will point out “a excessive probability that the individual had used hashish very just lately, and due to this fact was probably nonetheless experiencing acute impairing hashish results,” the report stated.
However the NTSB cautioned that body-cavity blood samples can generally be contaminated by different physique fluids or by THC from different tissues, together with the lungs, that will comprise excessive concentrations.
As well as, the Oklahoma Freeway Patrol discovered vaping mouthpieces and hashish buds within the automobile on the scene of the crash, the report stated.
The NTSB advisable within the report that the Oklahoma State Division of Schooling develop a drug and alcohol abuse curriculum for native college districts that tells college students concerning the threat of cannabis-impaired driving. At current, solely Massachusetts and Rhode Island have such course necessities, the NTSB stated.
The company additionally desires the Governors Freeway Security Affiliation, a gaggle of state freeway security officers, the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures and the Nationwide Affiliation of State Boards of Schooling to tell members concerning the Tishomingo crash and the necessity for hashish info in class and driver training coursework.
The protection affiliation stated in a press release that cannabis-impaired driving is a rising security concern, and state freeway security places of work are targeted on eliminating all impaired driving.
“We’ve to begin speaking properly forward of time, to youngsters, that driving, having ingested or smoked or inhaled marijuana is impairing, and it’s a threat to them and a threat to others,” Homendy stated.
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