New survey shows people think they're impaired — but drive anyway
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A new survey from MADD Canada shows that many Canadians who believe themselves to be drunk or high will still get behind the wheel of a car.
And far too many think it’s “no big deal” to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs, according to the survey.
MADD — Mothers Against Drunk Driving — enlisted Ipsos to do a survey last December with 2,377 Canadians aged 18-70 who hold a valid driver’s license.
This week is Impaired Driving Prevention Week (March 20-26).
Those polled were asked about their consumption of alcohol, cannabis, illicit drugs, medications and other substances for recreational purposes (or to get high), and they were asked whether they had driven a car while believing they were impaired by these things.
The results are disturbing.
Among the 67% of drivers who used alcohol in the past 30 days, 6% drove at least once in the past six months believing they were impaired, with just over one-third of them driving with passengers.
Some 27% of the drivers polled had used cannabis in the preceding 30 days, and 7% of those drove at least once in the past six months believing they were impaired. More than half (56%) drove with passengers.
Among the 16% of drivers who used illicit drugs or medications for recreational purposes or to get high in the past 30 days, 7% drove at least once in the past six months believing they were impaired, with a vast majority of these (83%) driving with passengers.
The survey results showed that young males aged 18 to 34 are the group most likely to drive while impaired.
Of the young men who had consumed alcohol, 13% drove believing they were impaired and 67% of that group had passengers in the car.
For cannabis, the figure is 13% (many with passengers) and for other drugs, 12% drove believing they were impaired — all of them with passengers.
Fully a third of those surveyed believe there’s a big difference between driving after drinking alcohol, and driving after consuming cannabis.
About 10% of those polled said it was no big deal to drive after having had a few drinks, taking drugs or consuming cannabis.
Given the statistics on impaired driving, that’s astonishing. Police in Canada reported just under 86,000 incidents of impaired driving in 2019.
Eric Dumschat, legal director for MADD Canada, said the poll results show the need for a new and different educational approach and better outreach and awareness strategies, if we hope to change impaired driving behaviour.
“Despite the laws, despite the awareness, and despite the possibility of crash, death or injury, some Canadians continue to drive after consuming alcohol, cannabis or drugs, when they believe they are impaired, and many of them have passengers on board,” said Dumschat.
“It is both alarming and unacceptable that these drivers are willing to risk their own safety and the safety of others.”
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