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Citation |
Kauert G. Blutalkohol 2002; 39(2): 102-111. |
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Affiliation |
Leiter Inst. Forensische Toxikol., Zentrum der Rechtsmedizin, J. W. Goethe-Univ. Frankfurt/M., 60596 Frankfurt/Main, Germany |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2002, 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 |
From the legal medical point of view, the establishment of another workshop dealing with illicit drugs in road traffic on the 40th 'Deutscher Verkehrsgerichtstag' is indeed welcome. In 3 areas, advances made since the 31st 'Deutscher Verkehrsgerichtstag'9 years ago are presented, the current situation is examined and prospective aspects are discussed. After the recognition of the increase of drugs detected in the blood of car drivers at the end of the 80's, a series of studies were published that dealt with the determination of the prevalence and the calculation of drug induced impairments as well as the proposals for threshold values for absolute driving inability. The latter could not yet be introduced, as scientific debate had not lead to a unanimous opinion. Following the introduction of a traffic law amendment ((section) 24a sec. 2 StVG) and the establishment of a full training programme for the police on the detection of drivers under the influence of drugs, the number of detected cases of driving under the influence of drugs increased significantly. This increase could partly be attributed to the application of on site testing of urine and saliva, which had already been introduced in parts. The continuously high proportion of blood samples, which tested positive for drugs over the past few years, remains steady at 85%, indicating a high number of still undetected cases. Several large-scale police campaigns showed that the number of car drivers under the influence of drugs is indeed higher than the number of drivers under the influence of alcohol on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day. Given the clear dominance of cannabis over other common drugs and the increased accident risk determined from accident analyses, there seems to be a need for the introduction of a threshold value for absolute driving inability for THC, which is scientifically viable. Furthermore, the necessary criteria for quality of blood analysis have been sufficiently established. The combination of more than one drug in blood obviously leads to an increased accident risk. Therefore, it should be discussed if, in cases of more than one drug being detected in the blood of a road traffic user a criminal offence be applicable, regardless of the concentration actually measured. |