Automotive Fleet, August 2018
AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I AUGUST 2018 16 D riving impairments whether theyre caused by devices or substances are root causes of vehicle crashes and fatalities As Automotive Fleet reported in the January 2018 issue of the magazine vehicle fatalities had been on the rise in the past two years The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is projecting declines in fatality rates for the 2017 2018 calendar years however fatality rates are still at high levels due to the past two years of growth Electronic device use has grown prolific in the area of distracted driving Studies have shown that driving while operating a phone can impair driving ability to the same extent as driving while under the influence of alcohol Substance abuse is not a new trend However in recent years the leading type of substance being abused has been new In 2017 an expansive report by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility found that for the first time vehicle fatalities caused by drugged driving outnumbered vehicle fatalities caused by drunk driving And one of the leading drugs present in more than a third of fatally injured drivers that were tested for drug use was marijuana Janet Ruiz a West Coast representative of the Insurance Information Institute shared data with Automotive Fleet pertaining to the frequency of collision claims in states that have legalized recreational marijuana versus the frequency of claims in surrounding states that have not legalized recreational marijuana What that data showed was that from 2012 2016 collision claims increased an aggregate average of 3 in Colorado Washington and Oregon three states that have legalized medical marijuana Looking at the states individually Colorado saw the biggest rise in claim frequency In Colorado collision claim frequency was 14 higher than in the surrounding states In Washington and Oregon collision AT A GLANCE States that have legalized marijuana have seen a rise in collision claims when compared to surrounding states that havent legalized the drug from 2012 2016 Colorado saw a 14 increase Washington saw a 6 increase Oregon saw a 4 increase HOW TO ADDRESS IN A FLEET POLICY Drug use and marijuana use in particular has increased in recent years So much so that it has overtaken alcohol use as the leading cause of vehicle fatalities BY ERIC GANDARILLA PHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO COM JASONDOIY
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