The prevalence of alcohol and other drugs in fatal road crashes in Victoria, Australia.
TL;DR: In a recent study, this paper examined how the presence of alcohol and other drugs in fatal road trauma in Victoria has changed over time in different road users and found that a decline in the prevalence of alcohol in fatalities suggests that law enforcement and public health strategies in Australia to address road fatalities and drink-driving may have had a positive effect.
About: This article is published in Accident Analysis & Prevention.The article was published on 2021-04-01. It has received 15 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Driving under the influence & Population.
Citations
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TL;DR: In this article , the authors conducted a systematic review to identify factors associated with drug driving to highlight gaps in existing knowledge and inform the design of more effective countermeasures, and found that drug drivers were more likely to be single, young males who often drive after using cannabis.
17 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a survey of 1027 Victorians who self-reported illegal smartphone usage while driving asked participants to rate the personal deterrent effectiveness of five types of risks associated with illegal smartphone use while driving.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the predictors of recidivism in first-time driving under the influence (DUI) offenders, analyzed variables derived from medico-legal and toxicological examinations.
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the predictors of recidivism in first-time driving under the influence (DUI) offenders, analyzing variables derived from medico-legal and toxicological examinations. The research was structured as a comparative study for the period 2012–2019. DUI offenders with a blood alcohol concentration >0.5 were included in the study. The case group consisted of recidivist offenders, while the comparison group consisted of first-time offenders. Personal data, socioeconomics, and parameters linked to the DUI were compared between the two groups. Significance was determined by chi-square and Mann–Whitney tests. To prevent confounding effects, multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed. Our sample encompassed 1678 subjects (196 in the case group, 1482 in the comparison group). Gender, driving license category, education, and tobacco use resulted in significant differences between the groups. In a model including age at DUI, education, and smoking habit as independent variables, higher educational levels (high school, bachelor’s) and older age protected against recidivism, whereas smoking >20 cigarettes/day was an independent risk factor for recidivism. Recidivist offenders have specific characteristics indicating different therapeutic programs and carefulness in driving license regranting. A higher tobacco consumption in recidivists suggests that the use of this substance could influence the risk of DUI for reasons that will need to be explored.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the files at Forensic Science South Australia from January 2008 to December 2018 for cases in which either positive blood sample for methamphetamine (MA) or an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) > 0.05g/100 ml were found.
Abstract: Motor vehicle driver fatalities (≥18 years) from the files at Forensic Science South Australia were reviewed from January 2008 to December 2018 for cases in which either positive blood sample for methamphetamine (MA) or an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >0.05g/100 ml were found. Three hundred driver deaths were found with MA detected in 28 cases (age range 21-62 years; ave. 37.8 years; M:F 23:5). Hundred and fifteen cases with a BAC > 0.05 g/100 ml were identified (age range 18-67 years; ave 35.7 years; M:F 95:20). No change was found in numbers of MA cases, although alcohol cases showed a significant decline (p < 0.001). Drunk driving-related fatal crashes tended to occur in the evening (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.), while MA-related fatal crashes had a longer peak extending from late evening until late morning (11 p.m. to 8 a.m.). This study has demonstrated that while roadside breath testing, legislative changes, and increased monitoring have resulted in reduced levels of drunk driving, similar safety countermeasures have had negligible effects on MA use in drivers. Continued monitoring of MA use by drivers will, therefore, be necessary to assess the possible effects, or not, of new countermeasures.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors built a database recording 4003 offenders (3443 males, 550 females) over a two-year period (2018-2019) in Western Switzerland and found one or more psychoactive drugs in 89% of DUID cases and alcohol alone was found in 56% of ALC cases.
2 citations
References
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TL;DR: Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use continue to result in substantial morbidity and mortality and significant societal economic costs despite considerable efforts to minimize use of licit substances and prevent use of illicit substances.
Abstract: Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use continue to result in substantial morbidity and mortality and significant societal economic costs despite considerable efforts to minimize use of licit substances and prevent use of illicit substances. Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking, and one in every five deaths in the United States is believed to be smoking related (1). Consequences of alcohol and illicit substance abuse include, among others, cirrhosis, job loss, and criminal behavior related to the acquisition and sale of illicit drugs. The economic costs of addiction were estimated as $400 billion yearly in the United States in 1999 (2). Substance use is associated with a wide range of risk behaviors. For the more commonly used substances, risk behavior includes symptoms of both dependence (e.g., reducing important activities because of use of the substance) and abuse (e.g., driving a car more than once while intoxicated, getting into trouble with superiors or co-workers because of intoxication). For example, in 2002, 4.7 percent of the population reported driving under the influence of an illicit drug and 14.2 percent reported driving under the influence of alcohol at least once during the past year (3).
524 citations
TL;DR: There were non-significant, weakly positive associations of opiates and benzodiazepines with culpability, and drivers showing the highest culpability rates were in the under 25 and over 65 age groups.
519 citations
TL;DR: A higher prevalence of opiates, alcohol, cannabinoids and the combination of these last two compounds in blood samples from drivers involved in road accidents than in those from controls, which suggests a causal role for these compounds in road crashes.
322 citations
TL;DR: The incidence of alcohol and drugs in fatally injured drivers were determined in three Australian states; Victoria, New South Wales and WA for the period of 1990-1999 and the prevalence of drugs increased over the decade, particularly cannabis and opioids, while alcohol decreased.
284 citations
TL;DR: The increased risk of being involved in a road accident as driver while receiving prescribed opiates and benzodiazepines supported the results from other studies.
191 citations