Lamber: Impaired driving puts yourself and others at risk
By Marc Lamber | Point of View
It’s “Super Week” with more parties, events and out-of-state drivers on our roads. Marijuana, alcohol and distracted drivers on their phones are a recipe for more accidents, injuries and loss of life this week.
Arizona law prohibits the operation of a motor vehicle when a person is impaired to the slightest degree. We know what alcohol can do. Driving under the influence of recreational marijuana can also impair a number of cognitive processes that are important for safe driving, such as reaction time and responses to road emergencies, motor coordination, road tracking, and completing complex tasks that require divided attention.
There is no breathalyzer in use to detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. However, that technology is on the horizon. If an officer has reasonable grounds to believe a driver was driving impaired, then Arizona law creates “implied consent” to a blood test. If the driver declines to take a chemical test, their license will be suspended. THC in the blood and other evidence of impairment can lead to DUI conviction, significant fines and jail time.
Wide access to recreational marijuana is here in Arizona posing new dangers to motorists on our roadways. Arizona law prohibits driving while impaired by marijuana to the slightest degree. We can change the cultural conversation around driving after using marijuana – and make it as socially unacceptable as drunk driving.
If you have recently consumed marijuana or alcohol, please follow a simple rule – Don’t get behind the wheel.
Remember, if you feel different, you drive different. As a personal injury lawyer for more than 30 years, I’ve seen the results of making poor decisions and getting behind the wheel, time and again. Those decisions can cause permanent injuries, or worse. It can affect countless lives, including your own. Once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed.
Editor’s Note: Marc Lamber is a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent-rated trial attorney. A director at Fennemore Craig, Lamber has been featured in national and local media, including the Arizona Republic, USA Today, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the ABA Journal and many others.
