Driving while high?

[FJRBluesman]

With the legalization of marijuana in some states I’m sure you’ll smell it more in public, maybe not.

That being said I’ve been noticing lately when riding (lane sharing most of the way) home from work on the 55frwy the smell of pot, a strong smell like at a concert. I’m thinking, “Great. Some arsehat is getting high and I get to pass him/her soon”. It’s bad enough with drunks, and distracted cellphone drivers, but now for some reason a bunch in Cali are now smoking on the road and it doesn’t give me warm fuzzies to deal with them too. I’ve rarely ever had this experience before, now it seems to be at least once per week I smell it on the way home.

Anyone else experience this?

 

[101stpathfinder]

Florida - Need I say more?

 

[majicmaker]

If anything bad happens and they are high on weed, they are going to pay the price. DWI is still DWI. They should be careful of what they wish for! It's not just a Florida thing.

 

[steveoreno]

I notice it here in Indiana where penalties are still severe. I'm unsure if it's increased or not, beginning to think people are just dumber than 10 to 20 years ago.

 

[Warpdrv]

I doubt this is anything new, weed heads smoke whenever wherever they can...

 

[HotRodZilla]

****...MJ is still low on the list. Alcohol is #1 by far. Prescription pain killers run a distant second, but many times are backed up by alcohol. Heroin, Meth and MJ seem to run about the same numbers in third place. I'd have to see an official study to actually separate those three. MJ might lead that group. Especially among 16-25 year olds. Miscellaneous other drugs run behind that last group.

Maybe it's area dependent, but we don't see much Cocaine and Crack anymore. Not like we used to. Cheap Heroin and Meth have taken that over.

Never overestimate the brain activity of the dummy next to you or approaching your opposing red light. Cell phones, impaired drivers, and HUA are very prevalent.

 

[Bounce]

As always DUI is DUI. The trick is getting a good test in place that can gauge current influence for MJ and not something that reports they used it in the last 3 months (or even 72 hours). You want to tag actually impaired drivers; not someone who legally consumed something at home the day before.

Even more difficult is properly tagging people for careless driving without any outside influence. That seems to be the most difficult thing for LEOs to get right. It's multilayered though. How do you keep it about safety when the upper echelon want it to be around revenue? If you tag the dumb *****, you reduce your revenue stream when, inevitably, they have their DLs revoked for terminal idiocracy.

 

[Bugnatr]

During my little 7,000 mile to eom and back in September by far the worst inattentive drivers were on I 70 in Colorado. Pot? Nope ******* cell phones. Between talking and texting is was terrible.

Another trend here in Ca is the rude drivers at gore points, they just have to rip past you at the last second or they tailgate because they didn't make it pass.

 

[A41Billy]

It's harvest season, so the smell of Mary Jane in the air is very abundant this time of year. Just take a deep breath and hold it.

 

[Twigg]

During my little 7,000 mile to eom and back in September by far the worst inattentive drivers were on I 70 in Colorado. Pot? Nope ******* cell phones. Between talking and texting is was terrible.

I think pot is simply the latest excuse. No one should drive while impaired but while this is an individual responsibility, we are doing very little to make it a rarity.

Put simply, human brains are not designed to multi-task at 70 mph. However, we can be trained to do so successfully, and that is the first failure point. Training and testing of US drivers is woeful. It's not just poor, it is getting worse by the year just as cars become faster, safer and distractions multiply.

Driver's Ed in schools has all but disappeared to be replaced by less-than-adequate "parent taught" courses. I say this even as Jodie and I are teaching our daughter to drive. We will try to do it correctly, and instill in her the values and skills she needs, but we are not driving instructors, we are parents.

The driving test is a joke, and it is a one-time joke at that. People are taking to the highways barely trained, inadequately tested, and facing dense, fast-moving traffic while distracted by an increasingly complex set of devices, both in the car, and taken into the car. It's a recipe for carnage and while each incident is the responsibility of the driver concerned, we are doing zero to reduce the risks.

Driving is a life-skill that affects every member of our society. It is about practical skills training, and attitudes, and we need a comprehensive new approach to lower the risk of our children killing themselves or others, and becoming that middle-aged guy who thinks he owns the road and gets angry when traffic doesn't part for him, as the Red Sea apparently did for Moses.

Passing laws, increasing penalties, enriching Police Departments has been tried, and it doesn't work. We have the future drivers in school as kids ... Lets make sure they leave school as good citizens and competent drivers.

 

[dcarver]

The least you could do ask them to share

 

[MrM0t0]

I have a very short commute (<3 miles) on I95 through downtown Providence here in RI. The moment I am on the highway heading home all I can smell is high potency weed. Seems like folks light up the moment they're in the car.

 

[HotRodZilla]

As always DUI is DUI. The trick is getting a good test in place that can gauge current influence for MJ and not something that reports they used it in the last 3 months (or even 72 hours). You want to tag actually impaired drivers; not someone who legally consumed something at home the day before.

Those tests are in place if the guys on the street use them. A person who smoked a 'little' pot yesterday won't be so impaired that they bomb Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. It's a matree of having the staff to deal with those stops.

Because drug impairment is a different animal, it takes an hour or longer more to complete an arrest. Then, because there is no set blood level for drug impairment, it comes down to driving cues and SFST performance.

BUT, Bug is correct. My guys and I could write 20 cites a day to people on their phones, if we didn't have 20 other things to do instead.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Smelling dope smokers on ATL highways? Not gonna happen. For one thing, it's still A/C weather here for the evening drive. For another thing, this is Georgia. Bud Light is much more in demand then Maui bud.

 

[Old Guy]

If there's so much smoke in the car that you can smell it behind them you're probably getting a buzz on yourself

 

[NHredliner]

Still illegal up here in NH and I smell it all the time while riding. At least with weed they are usually going too slow. Often it is Mass. plates and they're up here on vacation.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I'm high right now.. Can you tell?

Blow me Simon u punk azz *****.

 

[FJRBluesman]

I'm high right now.. Can you tell?
Blow me Simon u punk azz *****.

I know that's B's way of saying I love you! In a weird wrapped sort of way. :dribble:

 

[Bustanut joker]

No it ain't you weird ***.. Stop hittin' on me!