Citation

Kaeferstein H, Menke H, Staak M, Sticht G. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1993; 1993: 127-132.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The German Road Traffic Agency commissions medical psychological examinations of drivers, if there is any doubt about their fitness to drive a motor vehicle. The examinations' purposes are to clarify if a subject (1) is or has been dependent on any substance with psychotropic effects; (2) takes such substances regularly or in sufficient quantities to make him unfit to drive. Wherever a definitive assessment is not immediately possible, the subject is invited to provide a urine sample for analysis, to prove that he has not taken drugs. 376 such samples were assessed for the presence oalytical confirmation procedures. Results of EMIT and confirmation procedures are given for cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates and amphetamines, showing the following respective rates of confirmation of EMIT: 74.5%, 88.9%, 40.7%, 0%. The results show that chemical toxicological analyses are clearly indispensible in the context of medical/psychological aptitude tests. Although the test subjects had weeks or months to prepare themselves, narcotics or their metabolites could still be detected by chromatography in over 20% of the cases examined.