Alarm at growing number of drug drivers
Thursday December 14 2006
The shocking new research on Irish drivers, published in the British Medical Association's journal 'Injury Prevention' today, has prompted a call for routine drugs testing of people suspected of being over the limit for alcohol.
The drugs found included amphetamines, metamphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opiates and the heroin substitute methadone. The most common was cannabis.
The researchers from UCD School of Public Health and Population Science based their findings on 2,000 blood and urine specimens taken from drivers who had been stopped by gardai on suspicion of driving while "under the influence" over two years.
Half of the specimens were below the maximum legal alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml for blood and 107mg/100ml for urine. The other half were all above.
But when analysed further, one in three samples below the legal limit tested positive for a range of drugs. These drivers were also more likely to be taking a cocktail of drugs.
This rate was almost twice as high as that of drivers over the legal limit - one in seven of whom tested positive for drugs.
Rates of testing positive for drugs were marginally higher among men than they were among women.
Based on the samples in the study, the authors calculate that almost 16pc (one in six) of all drivers tested under suspicion of driving under the influence of an "intoxicant" would test positive for drugs.
As blood alcohol levels rose, the likelihood of testing positive for drugs fell. But more than one in 10 drivers at least 2.5 times over the legal limit for blood alcohol (greater than 200mg/100ml) also tested positive for drugs.
Alcohol
And among those with minimal blood alcohol levels, over two thirds tested positive for at least one drug, the findings showed.
Being under the legal limit for alcohol, being stopped in a city, stopped between 6am and 4pm or between 4pm and 9pm, and being under 35 years were all independently associated with drug-taking.
Too little attention has been paid to the adverse effects of drugs on driving, but drugged driving can be as dangerous as drunken driving, said researchers led by Dr Patricia Fitzpatrick.
The focus to date has been centred on illegal drugs and little attention has been given to prescribed drugs.
They said specific educational programmes should be set up for the different target groups and a general media campaign should also be initiated.
They warned that the role of drugs in injuries caused by road traffic is likely to be underestimated internationally, as the predominant focus has been on detecting drunk drivers.
They suggested a greater focus on drugged driving and its detection, particularly among those drivers with a low alcohol reading, could prevent injuries.
- Eilish O'Regan
