Drug use among fatally injured drivers in Canada

Over the past several decades, information provided by coroners and medical examiners on the use of alcohol by drivers who die in motor vehicle crashes has been instrumental in monitoring the extent of the problem, evaluating the impact of programs and policies and generally furthering our understanding of the magnitude and characteristics of the alcohol-crash problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of toxicological tests performed on fatally injured drivers of motor vehicles in Canada to determine the extent and type of drug use as well as the characteristics of the people and the circumstances involved. Data on alcohol and drug use from coroners’ and medical examiners’ files on drivers of motor vehicles who died in crashes from 2000 through 2010 in Canada. Psychoactive substances were grouped according to the system used by the Drug Evaluation and Classification program. Among drivers who died within six hours of the crash, 96 per cent were tested for alcohol and 58.8 per cent were tested for drugs. Of those tested, 33.7 per cent were positive for a psychoactive drug; 38.5 per cent were positive for alcohol. Overall, 56.7 per cent of fatally injured drivers were positive for alcohol, drugs, or both. The most commonly detected substances were central nervous system depressants and cannabis. The present findings provide greater understanding of the involvement of drugs in serious crashes, revealing differences in the characteristics of drivers and crashes involving alcohol versus drugs that have implications for prevention and enforcement.

• Record URL:
  http://www.icadtsinternational.com/documents/?category=20th_T2013_Brisbane
• Authors:
  • Beirness, D J
  • Beasley, E E
  • Boase, P
• Conference:
  • International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (T2013), 20th, 2013, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Publication Date: 2013-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 101-6
• Monograph Title: 20th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference Proceedings, 25-28 August 2013, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Australia

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash analysis; Crash causes; Drivers; Drugged drivers; Drugs; Drunk driving; Fatalities; High risk drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Safe systems (road users)
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• ATRI Terms: Crash analysis; Crash cause; Drink driving; Drug driving; Fatality
• ITRD Terms: 1602: Fatality
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01495645
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 17 2013 10:10AM