Marijuana Use And Other Risky Behaviors
Analyzed In Accident Analysis And Prevention Journal
March 12, 2009
Thrill-seeking young men are more likely to drive under the influence of
cannabis (DUIC) and engage in reckless driving, according to a new Université
de Montréal study. As reported in the journal Accident Analysis and
Prevention, men who are sensation-seekers, an average age of 27 and
impulsive will consider taking the wheel after consuming cannabis more often
than older peers.
"We observed that dangerous driving behaviours are interrelated.
Individuals scoring high on impulsivity or sensation-seeking scales demonstrated
an elevated risk of driving under the influence of cannabis," says senior
author Jacques Bergeron, a professor at the Université de Montréal's
Department of Psychology.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the association
between driving under the influence of cannabis and a wide range of dangerous
driving behaviours."
Some 83 men were recruited for the study. Participants, aged 17 to 49, were
observed in driving simulation tests and questioned about their driving history.
Males were selected as a target group, since statistics show that men engage
more often in dangerous driving and DUIC compared to women.
Researchers discovered 35 percent of their sample group had been involved in one
or more road crashes with material damage in the previous three years. What's
more, 30 participants admitted to using cannabis and 80 percent of those users
reported at least one incidence of DUIC in the previous 12 months.
"Our study found that men with self-reported DUIC tend to be associated
with an increased risk of being involved in a car accident," says lead
author Isabelle Richer, a PhD candidate at the Université de Montréal's
Department of Psychology.
To dissuade sensation-seekers from DUIC or other dangerous behaviours, Richer
and Bergeron recommend that authorities create arousing and unconventional
intervention messages that command attention. "On-road risky behaviours
tend to be inter-correlated, so interventions should focus on a broad range of
dangerous behaviours," stresses Richer.
Notes:
This press release is available in French.
Partners in research:
This study was supported by the Recherche et intervention sur les substances
psychoactives-Québec and the Fonds Québecois sur la Société et la Culture.
About the Study:
The paper, "Driving under the influence of cannabis: Links with dangerous
driving, psychological predictors, and accident involvement," published in
the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, was authored by Isabelle
Richer and Jacques Bergeron of the Université de Montréal.
On the Web:
About the Université de Montréal: http://www.umontreal.ca/english/index.htm
About the Department of Psychology: http://www.psy.umontreal.ca/index.html
About Jacques Bergeron: http://www.recherche.umontreal.ca/chercheurs_unites/chercheur_affichage.asp?noseq_chercheur=180
About the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575
Source: Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins
University
of Montreal
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Back to News