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Citation |
Lopez-Rivadulla M, Cruz A. Blutalkohol 2000; 37(2): 28-33. |
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Affiliation |
Forensic Toxicology Service, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2000, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Spanish legislation relating traffic drags and driving and applied nationwide is presented. Nevertheless, only legal limits of blood and breath in relation with ethyl alcohol are stipulated, and there is no stipulation concerning other drugs. The drugs involved in fatal road traffic accidents during the 3 year study period 1996-1998 carried out in our Forensic Toxicology Service, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, are presented. During this period biological samples from 338 cases of drivers involved in fatal road traffic accidents were analysed to detect alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, opiates, cocaine and benzodiazepines. In all cases, the driver condition was confirmed by police and autopsy reports. Toxicological analyses revealed that cannabis was the most frequently encountered illegal drug, which was detected in 4% of all cases, and in the case of legal drugs it was benzodiazepines (19%). For comparison, the results of toxicological analyses of alcohol in the same cases is shown, and it was present in 50%. In our country, the prevalence of alcohol in road traffic accidents is higher in comparison with legal or illegal drugs. |