Sorry to hear that, Derek.

Man, it's been a bad few weeks, huh? annoy:

Not necessarily....There are drugs out there that give you a steadier arm, that make you run faster, that help you handle more things at once, and focus with stronger concentration - Marijuana definitely gets you more directly intouch with certain things when you focus on them - That's where the extra comes creativity from - And there is absolutely no denying that...
While I admit that marijuana provokes a different reaction depending on the person, I'd say that the minority of regular smokers are worse drivers because of it - I sure think it makes me focus solely on what I'm doing - Enabling me to keep a constant focus on the road and whats around me, I double check everything to be sure, and I feel more of a motivation to check my mirrors, and my speedometer. Stuff I tend to just take for granted when I'm sober...

Here are some interesting quotes from an article regarding the issue:

[quote:a6b69]
Dr. Alison Smiley is one of the few people on the planet who've actually looked into pot use and driving habits. She's a University of Toronto professor studying how humans interact with machines, cars included.

She published a paper in 1999 that concluded, on the basis of medical research and vehicle accident stats from the U.S. and Australia, that marijuana may actually make you a more careful driver.

"The overall conclusion is that marijuana impairs driving performance, but not in the way that alcohol does," she said. "Marijuana use, on its own, tends to result in more cautious driving behaviour.

"The crash statistics showed no increase in accidents where marijuana was involved."

The reason, Smiley suggests, is that marijuana impairs in a fashion quite unlike booze. Drunk drivers tend to take stupid risks: speeding, tailgating, dangerous passing, failing to signal or to wear a seat belt.

"Alcohol tends to make people more confident," she said. "The effect of marijuana is a kind of information overload, too much stimulation. The normal human reaction to that is to slow down, be extra careful. With marijuana, the driving behaviour tends to be more compatible with the impairment than with alcohol." [/quote:a6b69]

It would have to be a pretty darn amazing coincidence that I and all my buddies who smoke, all feel as though they take more care on the road when stoned - Not to mention the fact that never have any of us really come close enough to an accident, except probably once when my mate was trying to eat, change a CD and drive at the same time - but there were a few of us in the car, and we were all high and it was still obvious to us that he was making a big mistake trying to handle that many things at once.
I've had uncountable experiences on the road while stoned - Enough that I'm absolutely sure of my own abilites while under the influence, and to know that it isn't just luck - I'm not just pulling this shit out of my ass...


You don't get what I'm saying - There are probably SOME drunk drivers that think they are capable drivers while drunk - But for the most part, it's well known around the western world, and probably the rest of the world, too, that it doesn't matter who you are, liquor effects you physically and mentally enough in the wrong ways that it makes you worse of a driver. This is not the case with marijuana. Despite what you guys think, it's not a well known fact that marijuana makes you a worse driver, infact there are plenty of people like me that agree it makes them a BETTER driver - Something that I don't think ANY drunk drivers would try and claim...Therefore, there is less of a reason for people who are high to not be on the road - Add that with the fact that there is no real way for the police to test and convict you for driving high...and you have a ratio of stoned drivers to stoned people higher then that of drunk drivers to drunk people.

...and I wouldn't say that there are "MUCH, MUCH MORE" people drunk than there are stoned...For one, because marijuana is illegal, it's not openly talked about and is frowned down upon by society in general - and also because people can get away with more stuff while high, than they can when they're pissed...If you have to, you can act not stoned when you're stoned. It's relatively impossible to do the same when drunk. Infact, I think you'd be VERY suprised to find out how many people you know that smoke weed. I was fucking amazed, and still am...People will only talk about it with other people who smoke for fear of being socially outcasted...So you never find out about teh true number of people who smoke, cause they never tell you....and I'm not just bullshitting you to make a point - That's the truth.

As for the statistics - I couldn't view the link right now as I'm at uni and for some reason the server won't allow me to view the PDF - But I bet if you googled it, you could find studies that reveal the exact opposite...I'll look when I get home....I remember reading about it on the CNN website about some canadian researchers who found that in the people they tested, marijuana had no bearing on their driving ability....

that sucks man...but if alcohal was illegal too...that would suck.

RIP.

I just found out there was a 4th person in the car. Somehow, the person got out of the car and called his parents to come pick him up at 6 in the morning. He must have felt uncomfortable driving with a lunatic drunk. ed: Imagine being that kid...knowing that one decision saved your life.


Also, there were quotes in the paper of the Amanda's (the girl who died) best friend saying she wondered how that all happened. Well, it figures out that girl hosted the party at her house. Stupid lying bitch. Kid's thought they were real cool and posted pictures of people at the party on their webshots...it had pictures of the dead kids drinking and the driver drinking. They got a search warrant for the girl's house and they found empty alcohol cans and bottles. The girl's parents weren't home for the whole thing...they came back later Sunday evening and came home to all of this. It should be interesting to see what happens to the parents for having a party in their home, but without their knowledge of it taking place.

Exactly what I do. If I know I need to, or even might need to drive, not one drop of alcohol. IF I do get drunk I usually wont drive for at least 12 hours after Im sober(part hangover, part I just dont want to risk an accident smelling of booze)