TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1999//
TI  - The prevalence of drugs and pharmaceuticals in conspicuous drivers
JO  - Blutalkohol
A1  - Moller, M. R.
A1  - Hartung, M.
A1  - Wilske, J.
SP  - 25
EP  - 38
VL  - 36
IS  - 1
N2  - In 1995, as part of an epidemiological study carried out by the Institute of Legal Medicine in Homburg/Saar, a total number of 632 blood samples of conspicuous drivers was examined. The selection of samples took place according to the following 3 criteria: 103 samples where the police had already expressed their suspicion of possible use of drugs or pharmaceuticals; 243 samples which only became suspicious after lab tests in connection with BAC were carried out and, finally, 286 randomly selected samples. All selected samples were tested for the most common substances as part of an initial immunological screening. Samples that were found to be positive after this procedure were then cleaned up by solid phase extraction and the detected drugs were later confirmed by GC or GC/MS. The results confirm that alcohol is still the most common factor impairing driver ability. However, there is a high prevalence of drivers impaired by drugs or pharmaceuticals in road traffic. A total of 316 substances could be detected in 192 samples. The drug detected most frequently was cannabis (n = 144) while the most commonly found pharmaceutical substances were benzodiazepines (n = 78). The increase of stimulant use was of particular interest when compared to an earlier study. The distribution of the detected substances to the different sample groups shows a correlation between the more obvious symptomatology of the individual and the likelihood to detect them. A projection shows that approximately 16 per cent of all conspicuous drivers can be accused of drug use or use of pharmaceuticals. Of all users of drugs and/or pharmaceuticals 12 per cent were detected bY the police. When comparing accident rates, it becomes apparent that a driver impaired by drugs or pharmaceuticals presents a much higher risk than someone who is 'only impaired by alcohol'.     Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving; DUID; Ethanol impaired driving
LA  - de
SN  - 0006-5250
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -