The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council launched a new national campaign to encourage individuals to recognize that when they are high on marijuana they should not drive.
Created pro bono by Reprise Digital, the multimedia communications campaign features the tagline, “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different.”
“The Ad Council takes on the most critical and timely issues facing our country,” Lisa Sherman, the CEO of the Ad Council, stated. “Just as NHTSA and the Ad Council changed the national conversation around drunk driving in the 1980s, we will now change attitudes and behaviors around driving under the influence of marijuana.”
According to NHTSA’s most recent national roadside survey, between 2007-2013 there was a 48% increase in weekend nighttime drivers who tested positive for a form of cannabis. Although several states have legalized marijuana use, driving when impaired by any substance remains illegal in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C.
“It’s not safe or legal to drive under the influence, even if a state permits marijuana use. Marijuana can slow reaction times, impair judgment, and compromise the cognitive skills needed to drive safely. We’re here to encourage marijuana users to make smart choices and avoid getting behind the wheel after using marijuana. We want everyone to remember: If you feel different, you drive different,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King stated.