Despite the war on drugs, the threat of illegal or illicit substance abuse is still very serious. Let's look at some factors of driving that are affected by drugs, and the drugs most likely to affect them:
Perception— this is how you understand what you experience with your senses (vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste). Your abilities to scan for and identify hazards are perceptual in nature and affected by most drugs; of particular concern to driver's perception are stimulants.
Judgment— this is your ability to assess a situation and discern the appropriate steps to take. Predicting what may happen in a traffic situation and deciding on the best course of action are examples of driver judgment. Poor judgment leads to poor driving which causes collisions. Judgment is impaired by depressants and hallucinogens.
Coordination —this is your ability to integrate eye, hand, and foot movements into cohesive action. When it comes time to execute a maneuver, coordination makes it happen smoothly. Coordination is disrupted by inhalants and depressants.
Vision— traveling at high speeds necessitates good vision. Drivers with naturally poor vision must be able to correct the problem to obtain a license. Vision factors into all phases of hazard awareness and response: scanning, identifying, predicting, deciding, and executing. Narcotic drugs and cocaine have both been shown to lessen visual ability.
Mood— your mood can cause you to take unnecessary risks or be so ambivalent that you neglect to take appropriate action in a crisis situation. Natural extremes in mood factor into driving problems such as road rage (see video Road Rage and Aggressive Driving). Chemically induced mood changes are worse because they are not predictable or controllable. In many cases, the driver may not realize the affect of the drug. Marijuana and depressants are particularly significant mood altering drugs.
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