Unofficial High Holiday can end in tragedy on the road

For over a generation now, those who support the more liberal use of marijuana in California and the rest of the country have observed April 20 as a so-called High Holiday. One custom of this countercultural observance is to ingest marijuana at around 4:20 p.m. on this day.

According to information compiled in a major medical journal, many people, especially college students, indeed planned to smoke marijuana on April 20. In states, like California, where the recreational use of marijuana is legal, sales of the drug tend to surge around this date.

Even though no one encourages drugged driving, operating a motor vehicle while high is all too common. This is of course risky behavior, as studies have shown that a person who is high will not have the same reaction time as would a sober driver. Moreover, high drivers tend to adjust their speeds and positions erratically.

Indeed, the authors of the study found that on April 20, drivers had a 12% increase in their chances of being involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident. The study also suggested that among young adult drivers, this increased risk was even more pronounced.

Overall, the increased risk of driving on April 20, particularly during the evening hours, was similar to that of driving on Super Bowl Sunday, a day well known for parties and for heavy drinking.

A California resident who got hurt in a car accident on or around this past April 20 may rightly suspect that drugged driving is to blame. As such, they may wish to discuss their case with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help them investigate their case and pursue their legal claims for compensation.