Biking while stoned leads to thousands of serious crashes each year, a new study suggests.
Between 2019 and 2020 alone, more than 11,000 people were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries that happened as they rode a bicycle while high on methamphetamine, marijuana or opioids, researchers found.
"The people affected by these injuries likely have substance use disorder, may be more likely to be homeless and may not have access to other types of transportation," explained lead researcher Bart Hammig, a professor of public health at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. "This is an often overlooked and ignored population when addressing serious injuries related to bicycle crashes."