From tech to education, the race is on to pump the brakes on impaired driving.
The following story was aired on WCVB-TV Chronicle February 1, 2024
BOSTON — Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal, but with no single test to help determine a driver’s impairment, there is a gray area. From tech to education, the race is on to pump the brakes on impaired driving. The state Cannabis Control Commission has partnered with AAA Northeast to teach driver’s education students about the dangers of driving under the influence of cannabis. The program is called Shifting Gears: The Blunt Truth About Marijuana and Driving. Now, it has been taught to more than 50,000 students at more than 400 driving schools across the state of Massachusetts.
Education may help, but what about testing for impairment before getting behind the wheel of a car? Well, there’s an app for that! Impairment Science’s DRUID app gives people a one-minute test, to check balance, reaction time and hand-eye coordination. The test must be taken unimpaired first to determine a baseline score; app developers say how much you waver from the baseline score can indicate your level of impairment. The app is used in an industrial, commercial setting, testing for impairment of any kind, and it can also be downloaded in the app store.