DRIVING RECORDS OF HEROIN ADDICTS

THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG ABUSE AND DRIVING SAFETY OF 6,076 OPIATE ADDICTS ADMITTED TO THE NARCOTIC ADDICTION CONTROL COMMISSION. IT WAS FOUND THAT 1,245, OR 20% OF THESE ADDICTS, HAD A DRIVER'S LICENSE AND/OR A 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 REGULATIONS ON THEIR RECORDS. NONE OF THE ADDICTS WERE LICENSED TO OPERATE A MOTORCYCLE, NOR WERE ANY EVER CONVICTED OF DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUNECE OF DRUGS. THE RECORD 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 OF THIS STUDY INDICATE THAT DRUG ADDICTS WHO DRIVE ARE DANGEROUS DRIVERS. FINDINGS SUGGEST, HOWEVER, THAT POOR DRIVING MAY BE A RESULT OF PROBLEMS OTHER THAN THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF DRUGS. /HSL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • No Rr-1969-11, 23 PP, 5 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

  Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
  Albany, NY  United States  12228

  New York Narcotics Addiction Control Commission

  ,    
• Publication Date: 1969-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Crash rates; Driver performance; Driver records; Drivers; Drugs; Heroin; Personnel performance; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223676
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 7 1972 12:00AM