Drug abuse of young drivers - an international overview

In the paper, young drivers were considered those aged 18-24 years of age, and when possible, the gender issue of the young drivers has also been addressed. The international perspective is directed towards the European Union countries and associated member states. As there are many possible substances to be used/abused by the population-drivers, five groups of substances have been reviewed as reference: alcohol, cannabis-THC, cocaine, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines (hypnotics-anxiolytics). Alcohol alone is estimated to account for 10,000 road deaths a year in the EU, one quarter of all road deaths. However, no comparable figures are available for road accidents related to illicit drugs and psychoactive medicines. The DRUID project constitutes the most recent and comprehensive effort to address these issues at European level. The paper addresses the following issues: 1. Prevalence of drug use in the general population; 2. Prevalence of drug use among young drivers, the DRUID project: - random roadside survey, - injured drivers, - killed drivers; 3. Risk estimates of getting injured/killed; 4. Drug dependence treatment demand (indicator). It is concluded that cannabis is the most frequent illegal substance consumed in the last 30 days by young people in all countries analysed in the DRUID project. Drivers aged 18-24 use less alcohol (0.5%) compared to other psychoactive substances: 1.5% were positive for THC; 0.3% for Benzodiazepines and 0.1% for amphetamines. In general, males tended do drive after substance use much more frequently than females. Alcohol alone (BAC greater than or equal to 0.1 g/L) was present in 1 out of 4 seriously injured young drivers. Cannabis was the most prevalent illicit substance among seriously injured young drivers (6.7% for all countries). Alcohol was the most frequent substance found among young killed drivers in all countries. The highest prevalence of alcohol (51.0%) was found in Finland for young male drivers. In general, driving after substance use increases the risk of getting seriously injured or killed in a road traffic accident. Results show that the risk of getting seriously injured or killed in a road traffic accident is higher for young people (aged 18-24) compared to the age group 50 and above.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9783781218611
• Authors:
  • Alvarez, F J
  • Fierro, I
• Publication Date: 2012-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 49-55
• Monograph Title: Fit to drive. Proceedings of the 6th International Traffic Expert Congress. Barcelona, April 25th - 27th 2012
• Serial:
  • SCHRIFTENREIHE FAHREIGNUNG
  • Publisher: KIRSCHBAUM VERLAG GMBH

Subject/Index Terms

• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 2230: Addiction; 8525: Conference; 1855: Driving (veh); 2242: Drugs; 2231: Drunkenness; 8303: EU; 8034: Europe; 1602: Fatality; 2163: Injury; 1782: Recently qualified driver; 9150: Risk; 6555: Statistics
• Subject Areas: I81: Accident Statistics; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01506541
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt)
• ISBN: 9783781218611
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Feb 5 2014 9:47AM