Citation

Hausken AM, Skurtveit S, Christophersen AS. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005; 79(3): 423-429.

Affiliation

Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403 Oslo, Norway. anmh@fhi.no

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2005.03.014

PMID

16102382

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Most studies in the field of impaired driving have focused on the hazards represented by impaired drivers to the rest of society; there has been little follow-up of the drivers themselves. The aim of this study was to establish mortality rates among subjects previously apprehended for driving under the influence of traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs, alone or in combination with alcohol. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of all drivers aged 20-49 years, apprehended in Norway in 1992-1996 and testing positive for traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs in blood, outcome variable: death. Study population: 805 drivers (598 males, 207 females). Mean follow-up period: 6.8 years. Information on deaths was collected from Statistics Norway. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 139 of the previously apprehended drivers died (110 males, 29 females). The calculated standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was 15.8 (95% CI: 13.0-19.0) for male and 20.0 (95% CI: 13.4-28.7) for female drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Apprehension on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, combined with detection of traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs in the blood, seems to indicate an elevated risk of premature death in the age group 20-49 years. Secondary prevention of continued drug use could save lives in this drug user group.