Tall Cop: 'You can’t stop what you don’t know'
Nov. 27, 2023
Jermaine Galloway, known professionally as Tall Cop, shares his expertise with traffic safety experts at the 2023 Toward Zero Deaths Conference.They say the only constant in life is change. That principle holds true even when talking about traffic safety and driving while impaired.
That's why the Minnesota departments of health, public safety and transportation brought in Jermaine Galloway, a 6-foot-9-inch former police officer also known as Tall Cop, to address our traffic safety partners during the Toward Zero Deaths Conference. Galloway has watched alcohol and drug culture trends change over the course of more than 20 years. Keeping track of those changes saves lives, according to Galloway.
"Keep yourself educated. You can't stop what you don't know," Galloway said. "For many people, it's hard to keep up with these trends, and especially to understand what they all mean. Unless you understand the culture, you won't see it at all."
Galloway's experience as a law enforcement officer in Idaho opened his eyes to substance use and abuse behind the wheel and inspired him to pass along his expertise through presentations at conferences and other events across the country, sharing information on available intoxicants and how they affect drivers. He urged traffic safety experts in Minnesota to avoid comparing drugs and emphasize that any amount of impairment can be dangerous.
"Drug impairment is only going to continue growing into a larger part of what law enforcement and other traffic safety professionals will have to confront in the future," Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson said. “Awareness is the key to recognizing and understanding what is on our horizon."
The plethora of products can be confusing for consumers, but the most important thing to remember is: If you feel different, you drive different, so it's critical to always plan a safe and sober ride. That's the same whether you are drinking alcohol, consuming cannabis or taking certain prescribed medications.
Research shows that driving under the influence of substances such as cannabis may increase your risk of a crash since your reaction time is slower, and your understanding of distance and speed is different. Other effects can include:
- Difficulties in road tracking and lane-position variability.
- Decreased, divided attention.
- Impaired cognitive performance.
- Relaxed inhibitions.
- Impaired executive functions, including route planning, decision making, and risk taking, or a combination of all these factors.
While culture changes constantly, our message will never change: Always plan ahead for a safe and sober ride and never drive while impaired by any substance or combination of substances.
