Drivers View Alcohol as Bigger Safety Threat Than Marijuana
A survey from IIHS finds, however, that motorists living in marijuana-legal states are more likely to perceive the drug as a road safety problem than motorists in other states.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The majority of American drivers don’t consider marijuana as serious a threat to road safety as alcohol, according to a survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But drivers living in states where recreational marijuana use is legal are more likely to view the drug as a highway safety problem than drivers in other states.
IIHS conducted the phone survey last year between July and October. The results were published in the organization’s most recent newsletter.
In states where recreational use of marijuana is legal, 43% of motorists said that driving after consuming marijuana is a problem in their community. In contrast, 28% of motorists in states where recreational use is banned viewed the drug as a driving safety problem locally.
On a national scale, 80% of drivers favored legalizing marijuana for medical use. But just 42% supported legal recreational use by adults 21 years of age and older. Under federal law, marijuana is still a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
Drivers who supported the legalization of recreational use were much less likely to view the drug as a driving safety problem than drivers who opposed such legalization, the survey also found. Drivers in marijuana-legal states were twice as likely to say they had used the drug within the past year.
“The message that alcohol and driving is a dangerous combination is well-entrenched, but marijuana isn’t viewed quite as negatively,” said Angela Eichelberger, a senior research scientist for IIHS and the study’s author. “As more states legalize marijuana use, we anticipate that perceptions about the drug’s effects on driving may shift.”
In November, voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada approved recreational use of marijuana, and medicinal use passed in Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota. Eight states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for all uses, while 20 states have implemented comprehensive medical marijuana programs. Sixteen more states allow limited access to marijuana products, usually extracts.
More Safety

Top 50 Executive Fleets
It is that time of year again! Time for the 2026 list of the Top 50 Executive Fleets, presented by Automotive Fleet and Volvo as part of its annual Fleet 500. Download now to see this year's list of companies!
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
Reducing Risk by Eliminating Phone Use Behind the Wheel
Hosted with the cofounder of Lifesaver Mobile, this episode addresses phone use behind the wheel and how to design a driving environment that actually helps prevents accidents.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-Time Prevention (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two: Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Continue learning more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab
Read More →
How 5-Second Telematics Data Is Changing Fleet Safety
This episode connects with Steve Santostasi of Ford Pro and covers how a few seconds of data can make a difference in fleet safety.
Read More →
The Two Biggest Summer Downtime Threats for Fleets
A conversation with a maintenance expert reveals the two most common summer maintenance pains and how to prevent them.
Read More →