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Citation
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Snenghi R, Forza G, Favretto D, Sartore D, Rodinis S, Terranova C, Nalesso A, Montisci M, Ferrara SD. Traffic Injury Prev. 2015; 16(5): 435-439. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study was to investigate polydrug use in drunk drivers.
METHODS: The experimental study was conducted on 2072 drunk drivers undergoing a driving license reissue protocol at the Department of Legal Medicine of Padova University Hospital in the period between January 2011 and December 2012. The study protocol involved anamnesis, clinical examination, toxicological history, toxicological analyses on multiple biological samples.
RESULTS: 1877 subjects (90.6%) were assessed as fit to drive, while 195 (9.5%) were declared unfit. Among unfits, 32 subjects (1.6%) were declared unfit for a recent use of illicit drug (time span < 6 months) while 23 (1.1%) spontaneously interrupted the protocol before its end and 140 (6.8%) completed the assessment. The ineligibility to drive after completeness of the protocolwas established in 1.2% of cases for alcohol disorders and in 5.7% of cases for illicit drug abuse; only one subject was included in both subgroups. Cocaine was the most widely used substance, followed by cannabis, opiates and psychotropic pharmaceutical drugs.
CONCLUSIONS: The application of the protocol presented in this study allowed the identification of an underlying polydrug use in drunk drivers. The study led to the identification of 6.8% unfit subjects on the basis of alcohol disorders and/or drug abuse, compared to 1.2% of identifiable unfitness if the protocol would be limited to the mere assessment of alcohol consumption. The frequent association of alcohol and cocaine is different from other patterns of use in North Europe Countries.
Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving; DUID; Ethanol impaired driving
Language: en |