Citation

Wilson L. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2010; 15: 421-433.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

The perceived risks involved in drug use and drug driving is of increasing international interest and there are ongoing debates as to how to quell drug driving behavior. In 2004 Victoria, Australia was the first policing jurisdiction to introduce Random Roadside Drug Testing (RRDT). Subsequently, RRDT has been implemented (or is under consideration) in most Australian policing jurisdictions. To date drug driving research has predominantly utilized epidemiological and experimental research methods. Existing epidemiological and experimental drug driving research has provided some insights into drug driving activity but is limited to producing quantitative data. Thus, experimental and epidemiological research cannot examine the broader issues surrounding drug driving. More recently a limited body of qualitative research into drug user's perceptions and behaviors has emerged. However, there is only limited research into drug user's perceptions of drug driving since the introduction of RRDT. This paper presents the results of preliminary research into the perceptions of a sample group of drug users from Melbourne, Victoria. Forty participants (n=40), 25 males and 15 females, who were current drug users took part in semi-structured interviews and self report surveys. 32 (n=32) participants, 22 (n=22) males and 10 (n=10) females had engaged in drug driving activity. Cannabis, ecstasy and methamphetamines were the three most common drugs reported to have been used by participants immediately or several hours prior to or while driving. Furthermore, 37 (n=37) participants had been passengers in cars with drug drivers. Only two (n=2) female participants had not engaged in drug driving activity as either a driver or a passenger in a car of a drug driver. The majority of the participants had experienced drug driving activity and perceived such behavior as relatively normalized in situations where drug use occurs. Participants agreed that the likelihood of detection by police prior to the introduction of RRDT was nonexistent. All participants supported the idea of RRDT to encourage general road safety. Nevertheless, most participants believed that despite the implementation of RRDT the threat of detection remained low and many still engaged in drug driving behavior.

Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving; DUID; Ethanol impaired driving