The effects of drug and alcohol consumption on driver injury severities in single-vehicle crashes

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of hospitalization in adolescence, with the 18 to 24 years old age group accounting for 23% of deaths by traffic accidents. Recurrence rate is also high. One in four teenagers will have a relapse within the year following the first accident. Cognitive impairments known in adolescence could cause risky behaviors, defined as repetitive engagement in dangerous situations such as road accidents. Two categories of factors seem to be associated with traffic accidents: 1) factors specific to the traffic environment; and 2) "human" factors, which seem to be the most influential. Moreover, the establishment of a stronger relation to high speed driving increases traffic accident risks and can also be intensified by sensation-seeking. Other factors such as substance use (alcohol, drugs and “binge drinking”) are also identified as risk factors. Furthermore, cell phone use while driving and ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity) also seem to be important risk factors for car accidents. The family environment strongly influences a young person’s driving behavior. Some interventional driving strategies and preventive measures have reduced the risk of traffic accidents among young people, such as the graduated driver licensing program and advertising campaigns. So far, few therapeutic approaches have been implemented. Reason why, we decided to set up an innovative strategy consisting of a therapeutic post-accident group intervention, entitled the ECARR2 protocol, to prevent recurrence among adolescents and young adults identified at risk, taking into account the multiple risk factors.

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Description of Various Factors Contributing to Traffic Accidents in Youth and Measures Proposed to Alleviate Recurrence.

Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or psychoactive substances increases the risk of severe, even fatal motor vehicle accidents. The aim of this descriptive study was to present the impact of alcohol and/or psychoactive substances on fatal road traffic accidents (RTAs) during the period 2011-2017. For this purpose, the toxicological investigation reports from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology of the University of Athens were used. In total, 1,841 (32.2%) of the autopsies conducted by the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens over a 7-year period (2011-2017) were victims of fatal RTAs. Blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of alcohol and psychoactive substances. The results were classified according to sex, age, victim (car driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian, or passenger) and the date the accident occurred (day, month and year). In total, 40.7% of the RTA-related fatalities were associated with alcohol consumption, among which 20.3% were car drivers. Of these, 87.3% were male victims. A higher frequency of RTA-related fatalities associated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >110 mg/dl was encountered in younger compared with older age groups. Psychoactive substances were detected in 348 (18.9%) of the victims (cannabis in 46.6% of these, benzodiazepines in 25.9%, opiates in 16.4% and cocaine in 11.1% of these). The percentage of the RTA-related victims that had consumed alcohol in combination with other psychoactive substances was 4.5%. On the whole, the findings of this study suggest that alcohol and psychoactive substances are probably risk factors for RTA-related fatalities.

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Incidence of fatalities of road traffic accidents associated with alcohol consumption and the use of psychoactive drugs: A 7-year survey (2011-2017)

Driving under the influence of drugs

Use of Medications in Arab Countries

The prevalence of alcohol and psychotropic drugs in fatalities of road-traffic accidents in Jordan during 2008-2014

Occupational fatalities in Jordan.

This retrospective study aims to determine the epidemiological features of deaths caused by chocking among infants in one of the general teaching hospitals in Jordan with a focus on weaning practices and its relation to sucking as major factors underlying the mechanism of choking in infants and young children. The study utilized a retrospective design to review the records of forensic cases due to a foreign body aspiration examined at the forensic department at the Jordan University Hospital. A total of 27 cases of choking in the pediatric age group were retrieved from the reports of the autopsy cases dissected. All cases of children who died due to chocking by foreign bodies were under 11 years old. Choking by food materials constituted (44.4%) of cases under 3 years of age while choking by non-food material was less prevalent under 3 years of age, comprising 18.5% of the cases. Health care personnel and parents need to be aware that the introduction of solid food, unlike exclusive breast or formula-milk feeding, can have serious consequences if occurring in inappropriate timing or consistency during early childhood physical and functional development. Parents need to be educated regarding the appropriate timing and process of weaning.

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Arwa A. Hudaib

Papers

The prevalence of alcohol and psychotropic drugs in fatalities of road-traffic accidents in Jordan during 2008-2014

Occupational fatalities in Jordan.

Choking Among Infants and Young Children