EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON DRIVING. DRIVING SIMULATOR TESTS OF SECOBARBITAL, DIAZEPAM, MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL

Secobarbital, diazepam, marijuana, and alcohol were all found to impair performance of a variety of simulated driving tasks. Drug levels tested for secobarbital and diazepam were therapeutic doses; the marijuana doses were considered moderate to strong by the subject population used; the alcohol effects were reported for levels up to and slightly above the legal limit. No clear-cut differences in the pattern of effects were found among the drugs tested. All drugs impaired perceptual-motor skills (e.g., tracking, speed, and headway control), perceptual tasks where response time and detection ability were measured, and decision making tasks. (Author/TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  National Institute on Drug Abuse

  5600 Fishers Lane
  Rockville, MD  United States  20852
• Authors:
  • Smiley, A
  • Moskowitz, H M
  • Ziedman, K
• Publication Date: 1985

Media Info

• Pagination: 21 p.
• Serial:
  • Clinical and Behavior Pharmacology Research Report
  • Publisher: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Decision making; Drivers; Driving; Drugs; Intoxication; Marijuana; Motor skills; Perception; Reaction time; Simulation; Tests; Traffic crashes; Training simulators; Tranquilizers
• ITRD Terms: 2248: Decision process; 1772: Driver; 1855: Driving (veh); 2242: Drugs; 2231: Drunkenness; 2229: Perception; 2247: Reaction (human); 9103: Simulation; 2205: Skill (road user); 6255: Test
• Subject Areas: Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00456339
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 208
• Files: HSL, ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1990 12:00AM