Ontario drivers worry legal pot will impact road safety, CAA survey finds
TORONTO — Nearly half of drivers who are also marijuana users told a survey they drive better, drive about the same or don’t know if cannabis impacts their ability behind the wheel.
The survey — a poll of 1,000 drivers commissioned by the Canadian Automobile Association South Central Ontario and conducted by Ipsos — found that 16 per cent of respondents had used marijuana within the last three months.
Attitudes about driving and marijuana use in that group, dubbed current users by the pollster, present a serious public education issue when it comes to drug-impaired driving, CAA director of government relations Teresa Di Felice said.
“One of the challenges is that there is a perception by people who use marijuana that they drive the same or better when they’re under the influence marijuana,” she said. “That is a concern and puts safety at risk … There are cognitive impacts. There are concerns. Those two don’t mix.”