TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Prevalence of alcohol, illicit drugs and psychoactive medicines in killed drivers in four European countries
JO  - International journal of injury control and safety promotion
A1  - Legrand, Sara-Ann
A1  - Gjerde, Hallvard
A1  - Isalberti, Cristina
A1  - Van der Linden, Trudy
A1  - Lillsunde, Pirjo M.
A1  - Dias, Mario J.
A1  - Gustafsson, Susanne
A1  - Ceder, Gunnel
A1  - Verstraete, Alain Gaston
SP  - 17
EP  - 28
VL  - 21
IS  - 1
N2  - Our objective was to determine the presence of psychoactive substances in blood of drivers killed in road crashes in four European countries. Data from 1118 drivers of car and vans, killed between 2006 and 2009, were collected in Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. The prevalence of any psychoactive substance ranged between 31 and 48%. Alcohol (≥ 0.1 g/L) was the most common finding, 87% had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ≥ .5 g/L. Benzodiazepines (1.8-13.3%) and amphetamines (0-7.4%) were the most prevalent psychoactive medicines and illicit drugs, respectively. Alcohol-drug and drug-drug combinations were rather prevalent. Differences in alcohol/drug findings seemed to reflect differences in use in the countries. More research should be done to develop preventive strategies to reduce the number of alcohol- and drug-related traffic accidents targeting at-risk groups, such as drivers with very high BACs and novice drivers.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1745-7300
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2012.748809
ID  - ref1
ER  -