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Citation |
Alexandrescu L, Poulsen H, Mason R, van Lamoen N. Accid. Anal. Prev. 2023; 195: e107413. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
38043214 |
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Abstract |
Driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs is a prominent safety concern in New Zealand and across the world. While alcohol testing is routinely performed for drivers involved in hospitalisation crashes, testing for other drugs is often not undertaken. The present study refers to 530 traffic crashes that occurred from October 2019 to January 2020 on New Zealand roads. The blood samples from 550 drivers who were injured in a crash and were admitted to a hospital (66% of all drivers involved in these crashes), previously tested for drugs and/or alcohol, were retested for a wider range of drugs. Alcohol above the applicable limit was found to be present in 38% of hospitalised drivers, while other drugs of interest were found in 47% of hospitalised drivers. Binary logistic regression was used to predict the presence of drugs of interest for a crashed driver using previous offence data. A driver having at least one prior drink and drug driving offence is 61% more likely to be positive for a drug of interest when involved in a crash. Similarly, a driver having at least one prior non-traffic drug offence is 4.7 times more likely to be positive for at least a drug of interest when involved in a crash. While the presence of a drug or drugs cannot be presumed to have played a role in the occurrence of the crash, this study has provided a unique and comprehensive picture of the presence of various drugs present in New Zealand drivers' blood. It is recommended to consider standardising drug testing on all blood specimens taken in relation to a serious injury or fatal crash. This procedure is not only of interest for information purposes but may importantly inform appropriate charging decisions. Language: en |
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Keywords |
Driving under the influence; Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID); Drug offence; Drug testing; Drug-impaired driving; Drugs of abuse; Hospitalised drivers; Retesting blood samples; Traffic offence |