Study: Teens More Likely To Ride With High Drivers Than Drunk Ones

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - A new study is looking at the impact of marijuana on teen driving decisions.

The study led by Colorado State University found young adults are more likely to ride with a driver impaired by marijuana than one who is drunk.

It's one of the first studies to ask not only what an impaired driver was using but also how they were related to passengers.

Approximately 33 percent of recent high school graduates said they rode with an impaired driver in the past year, and the risk of riding with an impaired driver was much higher for their peers than an older driver.

"Parents should be a role model by not driving while impaired, and real friends should stop their friends from driving after using substances -- if using substances cannot be stopped," said Kaigang Li, an assistant professor in CSU's Department of Health and Exercise Science.

A new campaign from the Colorado Department of Transportation is focused on trying to convince people not to drive high.