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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:03 pm
Time: 10:03 pm
Results for drugged driving (europe)
2 results foundAuthor: Gemmell, Colin Title: Literature Review on the Relation between Drug Use, Impaired Driving and Traffic Accidents Summary: The health consequences of drug use are a priority area for the EMCDDA and impaired driving and road traffic accidents linked to drugs constitute an important topic on which comprehensive information is lacking. The literature review addressed inter alia the relationship between different patterns of drug consumption, impaired driving and traffic accidents. In addition drug testing procedures and associated legislation regarding drug-impaired driving in the different EU Member States were described and the issues raised by such testing reviewed. The outcomes of the study included a scientific literature review and annotated bibliography on the relation between drug use, impaired driving and traffic accidents. Details: Lisbon: EMCDDA, 1999. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 24, 2011 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index58070EN.html Year: 1999 Country: Europe URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index58070EN.html Shelf Number: 121787 Keywords: Driving Under the Influence of DrugsDrug AbuseDrug-Impaired DrivingDrugged Driving (Europe)Drugs and DrivingTraffic Accidents |
Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Title: Drug Use, Impaired Driving and Traffic Accidents, Second Edition Summary: This literature review provides a comprehensive report on the relationship between drug use, impaired driving and traffic accidents. It describes methodological issues (Chapter 1), presents the results of prevalence surveys among drivers and provides an overview of findings from major international epidemiological surveys published since 2007 (Chapter 2) and gathers evidence from experimental and field studies of the relationship between drug use, driving impairment and traffic accidents (Chapter 3). The research methods can be broadly separated into experimental and epidemiological studies. Every approach has its inherent advantages and disadvantages. Experimental studies, in which the drug is administered in measured doses to volunteers, may be conducted in a laboratory or a driving simulator or on the public road. They allow the effects of a single factor to be measured, but can identify only potential risks, and in some cases the results can be of limited value because of the use of non-realistic doses for safety reasons or because of the drug use history of the volunteers or inter-individual differences. Epidemiological studies examine the prevalence of drug use in various populations. They include roadside surveys, studies assessing the prevalence of drugs in a subset of drivers, accident risk studies, responsibility analyses, surveys among the general population and pharmacoepidemiological studies. However, the study design means that it is not possible to completely eliminate all risk factors other than that under examination and which may be highly correlated with the risk factor of interest. The results of different studies may not be comparable if, for example, different populations or different kinds of samples are tested. The results of experimental studies have indicated that several illicit drugs could have an influence on driving performance; the effects of some, but not all, drugs are dose dependent. Cannabis can impair some cognitive and psychomotor skills that are necessary to drive. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) exerts both negative and positive effects on performance, and studies investigating the effects of a combination of alcohol and illicit drugs have found that some illicit drugs (e.g. cannabis) can act additively with alcohol to increase impairment, while others (e.g. cocaine) can partially reverse alcohol-induced impairment. MDMA can diminish some, but not all, deleterious effects of alcohol, while other negative effects of alcohol can be reinforced. The chronic use of all illicit drugs is associated with some cognitive and/or psychomotor impairment, and can lead to a decrease in driving performance even when the subject is no longer intoxicated. The results of experimental studies also show that some therapeutic drugs can cause obvious impairment. Benzodiazepines, for example, generally have impairing effects, but some types (whether long-, medium- or short-acting) cause severe impairment, whereas others are unlikely to have residual effects in the morning. First-generation antihistamines are generally more sedating than second-generation ones, though there are exceptions in both groups. Tricyclic antidepressants cause more impairment than the newer types, though the results of experimental tests after consumption of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are not always consistent. In every therapeutic class, however, some substances are associated with little or no impairment. These therapeutic drugs should preferably be prescribed to those wishing to drive. Epidemiological studies have confirmed many of the findings from experimental studies. The Driving under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines (DRUID) project has calculated that, on average, 3.48 % of drivers in the European Union drive with alcohol (> 0.1 g/l) in their blood, 1.9 % with illicit drugs, 1.4 % with (a limited list) of medicinal drugs, 0.37 % with a combination of alcohol and drugs and 0.39 % with different drug classes. Studies assessing the prevalence of drugs, medicines and/or alcohol in drivers who were involved in a traffic accident (fatal or otherwise) have found that alcohol is more prevalent than any other psychoactive substance, but drugs are also frequently found, and in a higher proportion of drivers than in the general driving population. Of the drugs analysed, cannabis is the most prevalent after alcohol, although benzodiazepines, when samples have been analysed for these, are sometimes even more prevalent than cannabis. Statistically, the use of amphetamines, cannabis, benzodiazepines, heroin and cocaine is associated with an increased risk of being involved in and/or responsibility for an accident, and in many cases this risk increases when the drug is combined with another psychoactive substance, such as alcohol. From the perspective of traffic safety - especially looking at prevalence rates and risks - the following conclusions can be made. Alcohol, especially in high concentrations, must remain the principal focus of prevention measures. The combination of alcohol and drugs or medicines seems to be a topic that should be addressed more intensively because it is associated with a very high risk of a traffic accident. The problems resulting from medicine use among drivers should be addressed by providing doctors and patients with appropriate information, not by defining thresholds. Based on experimental studies, D9-tetrahydrocannabinol and amphetamines would appear to represent a minor risk, but in case-control studies amphetamines use is associated with a much increased risk of accident. More research is needed to investigate the probable risks of amphetamines in real traffic and the mediating factors. From the perspective of risk, sleep deprivation should also be addressed as it is associated with a high risk of accidents. Details: Lisbon: EMCDDA, 2014. 156p. Source: Internet Resource: Insights, no. 16: Accessed July 16, 2014 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/insights/2014/drugs-and-driving Year: 2014 Country: Europe URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/insights/2014/drugs-and-driving Shelf Number: 132694 Keywords: Driving Under the InfluenceDrug OffendersDrugged Driving (Europe)Illicit DrugsTraffic Accidents |