Dr. Hoff presented at MADD Hawaii's Drugs & Driving, A Call to Action conference in Oct. of 2018. As the Research Director at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission Dr. Hoff gave an overview of National trends, Washington state trends and recreational marijuana. She also had data on young drivers and how best to collect data, as well as, recommendations for Hawaii as we move forward in our fight against impaired driving.

1. Drugged Driving:
The Latest Data and Research
Staci Hoff, PhD – Research Director
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
MADD Hawaii Drugs and Driving – A Call to Action October 11, 2018

2. A few ice-breakers…
• What do you get if you divide
the circumference of a
pumpkin by its diameter?
PUMPKIN PI!
• Why should you NEVER
mix calculus with alcohol?
BECAUSE YOU SHOULD
NEVER DRINK AND DERIVE!

3. Overview
• Drugged Driving
– National trends
– Washington State trends
– Recreational Marijuana
• Young Drivers
• Data Collection Efforts

4. How many people use drugs?
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Facts, Nationwide Trends,
2015. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwide-trends
2015=10.1%, 2016=10.6%
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Monitoring the Future Survey: High
School and Youth Trends. 2017.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/monitoring-future-survey-
high-school-youth-trends
Kana Enomoto, Principal Deputy
Administrator of SAMHSA - the overall
increase in drug use is driven by
adults ages 26 and older initiating
marijuana use.

5. Youth Marijuana Use
• Past-year marijuana
use declined among
10th graders,
unchanged among 8th
and 12th graders
despite recreational
marijuana laws
• Daily marijuana use
exceeds daily
cigarette use
• Alcohol use has
shown significant five
year declines
More information is available at the Monitoring the Future Website http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

6. Youth Marijuana Use – HI vs WA
SAMHSA Behavioral Health
Barometer Collection: State
Barometers, Volume 4.
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
report/behavioral-health-
barometer-state-barometers-
volume-4

7. WA Youth Marijuana and Driving

8. Drugged Driving – Yes we know
this is an issue, no we don’t know
what to do…yet!
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-
driving/drug-impaired-driving
• National Institute on Drug Abuse https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-
topics/drugged-driving
• Drug Enforcement Agency
https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/family/drugged-driving--what-you-
should-know
• National Conference of State Legislatures
http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/drugged-driving-overview.aspx
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving https://www.madd.org/the-solution/drugged-
driving-prevention/
• Ford Driving Skills for Life https://corporate.ford.com/innovation/drugged-
driving.html

9. Drugs and Crash Risk
Source: Drug-Impaired Driving: A Guide for States. GHSA, 2017.
https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/GHSA_DruggedDriving2017_FINAL_revised.pdf
According to the Society of
Forensic Toxicologists,
identifying a link between
impairment and drug
concentrations is complex,
possibly infeasible.

10. How many people drive after drug use?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
1973 1986 1996 2007 2013-14
positive BAC
BAC ≥ 0.08 percent
Percent of weekend nighttime drivers with positive
alcohol test
0%
10%
20%
2007 2013-14
any illegal drug
marijuana (THC)
medications
Percent of weekend nighttime drivers
with positive drug test
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Status Report. Vol. 50 No.4, May 12, 2015 http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr5004.pdf
National Roadside Survey: Random survey including collection of biological specimens for
estimating alcohol (since 1973) and drugged driving (since 2007) prevalence

11. How many people drive in WA after marijuana use,
before and after recreational stores opened?

12. Self-report Driving After Using Marijuana
WA BRFSS 2014-2016 WA Roadside Survey, 2013-2014
WA Young Adult (ages 18-25) Survey 2014-2016

13. The New Impaired Driver in WA
Fatal Crashes – Poly-Drug Drivers

14. But You’re Just Testing More Drivers…

16. Busting the BIGGEST Myth

17. Impairment + Inexperience =
We see you in the data 
Drug/Alcohol Status of
Drivers in Fatal
Crashes
Number of
Drivers Ages
16-18
Driver
Deceased
Driver Involved
in the Death of
Another Person
One Drug Only 8 5 3
Only Alcohol 32 20 12
Only THC 16 12 4
Poly-Drug 20 17 3
Total Alcohol/Drug
Drivers
76 54 22

18. Triple Fatal Crash 7/26/2017 4a.m.
• Hit a parked semi at 56 mph
• Three 16yo deaths, one
15yo passenger survived
• Driver = Speeding and
Marijuana (6.8 ng/ml)
• GDL violations
• Driver just got his license 2
months before – mom says
he snuck out [first time?]
• Asleep? Passengers? Cell
Phone? Why did he drift from
the road? We’ll never know…

19. The Impact of Recreational Marijuana
• On November 6, 2012 Washington
voters approved I-502 56% to 44%
• On July 6, 2014, the first recreational
marijuana store opened for business
• Over $32,000,000 in sales/month (a
total of 482 retailers as of Aug. 2018)
• More than $3.5 billion in sales to
date – continues to grow each year
• Over $1 billion in marijuana and
sales tax collected since July 2014.

20. DUI Blood Samples are Increasing
Dr. Fiona Couper,
WA State
Toxicologist
“Typically, one-quarter of
THC cases are aged
under 21. THC is the
most frequently detected
drug (including alcohol) in
suspects under age 21.”

21. THC in Fatal Crash Drivers
Three out of four THC-
positive drivers in fatal
crashes also tested
positive for alcohol
and/or other drugs.

22. Traffic Safety Culture Study
• Males are 3x more likely to DUICA
• DUICA decreases with age
• The following demographics had NO
EFFECT on the decision to DUICA:
– Chronic users versus non-chronic users
– Cannabis use for recreational or
medical use, or both
– Cannabis use for physical, mind,
emotional, or spiritual benefit

23. Some Advice About Data
• Data is important. You need to know the limitations of FARS
drugged driving data and support improvements to the
completeness and accuracy of that information by collaborating with
FARS units and toxicology labs.
• In addition to federal surveys, state-level surveys should be
implemented to monitor use and driving.
• Partnerships are essential. Find out who got funding and get
creative with incorporating traffic safety data collection, messaging,
and research into existing efforts.
• Look for opportunities to work with the industry in promoting traffic
safety.

24. You Can Washington (positive social norming)
https://www.youcanwa.org/
Start talking now – Parent Resources
http://www.starttalkingnow.org/
Drunk, Drugs, or High, It’s a DUI – WTSC public info
http://wadrivetozero.com/dui/
Communications Resources for WTSC Partners
https://www.wtscpartners.com/
WA Campaigns Targeting Youth and
Drugged Driving