Legalizing Recreational Pot Could Boost Crash Rates, Safety Group Says

By By Fredrick Kunkle The Washington Post A traffic safety organization is warning that two recent studies suggest that legalizing recreational marijuana could lead to an increase in crashes, including deadly ones. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that studies by the Highway Loss Data Institute and researchers at the University of Texas at Austin point to an increase in crash risk in states that legalized the recreational use of pot. The Highway Loss Data Institute - which, like the IIHS, is a nonprofit organization backed by insurance companies - reported in June that insurance companies received higher-than-expected collision claims in Colorado, Washington and Oregon after those states allowed people to buy marijuana for recreational purposes.