
@article{ref1,
title="Alcohol and drug use among road users involved in fatal crashes in Norway",
journal="Traffic injury prevention",
year="2021",
author="Pasnin, Live Tanum and Gjerde, Hallvard",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of alcohol and drugs in biological samples from drivers, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians involved in fatal road traffic crashes (RTCs) during 2016-2018 in Norway, both among fatally injured victims and those who survived fatal RTCs. <br><br>METHODS: Anonymous information was extracted from police data. No personal data were recorded. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 330 fatal RTCs with 349 killed road users and 384 survivors during the study period; this included 179 passengers who were excluded from the study. In total, 90% of the studied killed road users and 67% of the survivors were investigated for alcohol or drug use by analyzing biological samples. Alcohol or drugs in concentrations above the legal limits were detected in 21% of the analyzed samples. The proportion impaired by alcohol or drugs (blood alcohol concentrations equal to or greater than 0.05%, or drug concentrations above equivalent limits) was highest among killed bicyclists (43%), higher than among killed pedestrians (24%), car and van drivers (28%) and motorcyclists (20%), and significantly higher than among drivers who survived fatal crashes (4%). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Impairment due to use of alcohol or drugs was often a contributing factor among bicyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicle drivers who died in RTCs. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was more often a contributing factor in cases where the motor vehicle driver was killed than in cases where the driver survived.  Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving, Ethanol impaired driving <p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1538-9588",
doi="10.1080/15389588.2021.1887854",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2021.1887854"
}