Alcohol, Cannabis and Driving

Fact Sheet 2019

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Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driving Primary Factor in Fatal Crashes

  • Nearly half of all traffic deaths in Washington involved an impaired driver.

  • Drivers who are impaired from more than one substance (called poly-drug drivers), are the most common type of impaired driver involved in fatal crashes.

  • Alcohol and cannabis are the most common combination of intoxicants.

  • The number of poly-drug drivers has increased an average of 15 percent every year since 2012.

  • By 2016, poly-drug drivers were more than double the number of alcohol-only drivers and five times higher than the number of THC (cannabis)-only drivers involved in fatal crashes.

  • Among drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2008-2016 that tested positive for alcohol or drugs, 44 percent tested positive for two-or-more substances (poly-drug drivers).

Most People Think Driving Impaired is Unsafe and Unacceptable


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  • The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) commissioned a study by the Center for Health and Safety Culture in the Western Transportation Institute of Montana State University to study attitudes toward driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis (DUICA), and found that most of us agree that driving drunk or high is unacceptable.

  • Simply put, most people in Washington believe driving impaired is unsafe and unacceptable.

  • The study found that among adults in Washington:

    • 81 percent are concerned about traffic safety

    • 78 percent do not drive within two hours of consuming alcohol

    • 85 percent do not drive within two hours of consuming cannabis

    • 91 percent do not drive within two hours of consuming both

    • 81 percent have a negative attitude about DUICA

    • 83 percent believe it is unacceptable to drive within two hours of consuming alcohol and cannabis

  • Most agree that impairment begins as soon as you start consuming alcohol or cannabis.

  • The study also found that 81 percent of Washingtonians would intervene to prevent someone from driving impaired. They may offer to let them crash on their couch, call them a cab, arrange rideshare, or provide a designated driver.

  • It’s not true that using cannabis after drinking will sober you up, a fallacy likely to be believed by the 9 percent of people who reported driving after alcohol and marijuana use. If you use marijuana after drinking alcohol you will increase your crash risk.

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