DRIVING RECORDS OF HEROIN ADDICTS

THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES LICENSE FILE WAS SEARCHED IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOCATE DRIVING INFORMATION FOR THE FIRST 6,000 CERTIFIED ADMISSIONS TO THE NARCOTIC ADDICTION CONTROL COMMISSION. IT WAS FOUND THAT 1,245 OR 20% OF THESE ADDICTS HAD A DRIVER'S LICENSE AND/OR DRIVING RECORD. ANALYSIS OF THESE RECORDS INDICATES THAT 77% OF THE MALES AND 73% OF THE FEMALES HAD ONE OR MORE ACCIDENTS, OR CONVICTIONS FOR VIOLATION OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW. IN CONTRAST, ONLY ABOUT 20% OF ALL NEW YORK STATE MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATORS HAVE ANY ACCIDENTS OR TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS ON THEIR RECORD. NONE OF THE ADDICTS WERE LICENSED TO OPERATE A MOTORCYCLE, NOR WERE ANY EVER CONVICTED OF DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS. THE RECORDS OF THE 1,226 MALE ADDICTS SHOWED A TOTAL OF 4,465 ACCIDENTS AND TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS, WITH 402 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING INJURY OR DEATH. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT DRUG ADDICTS WHO DRIVE ARE DANGEROUS DRIVERS. BECAUSE DRUG USE IS A RAPIDLY GROWING PROBLEM, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT CONTINUED WORK BE DONE TO FURTHER DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG USE AND TRAFFIC SAFETY. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 19 Pp, 6 TaB
• Corporate Authors:

  New York Narcotics Addiction Control Commission

  ,    

  New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

  Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
  Albany, NY  United States  12228
• Authors:
  • Babst, D V
  • Inciardi, J A
  • Raeder, P K
  • Negri, D B
• Publication Date: 1969-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver licenses; Drugs; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Gender; Records management; Traffic conviction; Traffic crashes; Traffic regulations; Traffic safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents; Records; Traffic laws
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223271
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 3 1970 12:00AM