[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Smoking weed doesn't lead to as many crashes as alcohol use because weed smoking doesn't increase risk-taking behaviours in the same way (and can actually result in people being over-cautious when driving) so that means they're far less likely to speed or to attempt a dumb overtaking manoeuvre (possibly even less likely than a sober person) and so it has a far less disastrous effect on "routine driving". HOWEVER, how it affects your reaction times on observing a hazard and your stopping distance in an unexpected scenario (such as an unseen pedestrian stepping out from behind something) is all that objectively matters and the difference is practically zero. Weed slows your reactions just as much as alcohol. You might be able to steer better and not have that typical "swerving about the road" that's a sign of a drunk driver, and not be tanking down a country road at 80 or YOLO overtaking on blind corners, but your reaction times and stopping distance is just as badly affected... so whilst you're not creating as many risky scenarios... your ability to react to a scenario caused by someone else is just as imparied and a pedestrian stepping out is just as dead.

I didn't say it doesn't have any affect at all, I just said it was on a completely different level of danger, which I completely stand by without any hesitation. To this day, I'd hop in a car without any fear if one of my friends was driving baked, but I'd never get in the motor with a drunk driver. Maybe that complacency is also dangerous (it's not even remotely likely these days) but it's borne out of over a decade worth of unintentional testing.