“Marijuana is an impairing substance, period—and it’s a lesson we can’t afford to wait until driver’s ed to teach,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the board, said in a statement.
Dozens of states and Washington have in recent years made marijuana legal, even though it remains illegal on a federal level. In every state, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.
The NTSB, an independent government agency that investigates transportation crashes and lacks regulatory power, said in the new alert that driving under the influenza of marijuana is dangerous for all drivers but focused on teenagers due to their lack of experience with driving.
Officials said parents should make sure to emphasize to their teen children that driving while impaired by marijuana is risky and illegal. They said parents should discuss strategies to avoid driving while intoxicated.
A 16-year-old driver who was likely impaired by marijuana was responsible for the crash, according to investigators. They said the girl slowed down for a stop sign but, instead of stopping, then sped up to make a left turn.
A combination truck and semitrailer tried stopping to avoid a collision but it struck the Chevrolet Spark with the girls inside.
Postmortem testing of the driver identified tetrahydrocannabinol, suggesting she had used cannabis before driving, but investigators could not figure out how long before driving she used the drug.
Considering the concentrations of the chemical and its metabolites, the agency said that the driver “likely was impaired by effects of cannabis at the time of the crash.”
Oklahoma Highway Patrol personnel located both vaping mouthpieces and marijuana in the Spark after arriving on the scene, according to the report.
NTSB officials are recommending the Oklahoma State Department of Education develop a curriculum covering the risk of driving while impaired by marijuana and distribute the curriculum to local school boards. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office should also cover marijuana impairment when it reaches out to students on driving safety, officials said.
Oklahoma authorities should also update their driver manual to reflect that driving while under the influence of marijuana is illegal despite marijuana being legal for some medical purposes, according to the NTSB.
The NTSB is also urging various groups such as the Governors Highway Safety Association to tell their members about the crash and educate youth about the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving.
“We’re already behind when it comes to traffic safety, and marijuana-impaired driving is exacerbating the crisis,“ Ms. Homendy said. ”States have to do a better job of protecting road users from impaired drivers, regardless of the substance or its legality.”
