The Study of Possible Influences of Licit and Illicit Drugs on Driver Behavior

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15248411971PDFResearch PaperBerg, S. WilliamFryback, John T.Goldenbaum, Donald M.Joscelyn, Kent B.Maickel, Roger P.Potter, William Z.Zabik, JosephJones, Ralph K.Indiana University, Bloomington. Institute for Research in Public SafetyUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesDrugged driversDrug effectsDrugsTraffic accidentsAccident risk forecastingDOT-HS-800-613FH-11-7244-S-71-1NTIS-PB208308FH-11-7244-SFinal reportStudy authors were S. William Berg, M.D., John T. Fryback, A.B.; Donald M. Goldenbaum, Ph.D.; Ralph K. Jones, B.S.; Kent B. Joscelyn, J.D.; Roger P. Maickel, Ph.D.; William Z. Potter, M.D.; and Joseph Zabik, M.S. The study investigated the relationship between usage of licit and illicit psychotropic drugs and traffic accidents. Tests were conducted to estimate the incidence of drug presence in the blood among college student drivers just involved in a traffic accident (experimental group) and among college student drivers on the road at the same time as those just involved in a traffic accident (control group). In addition, both groups were interviewed to identify drug usage patterns and relationships between traffic accidents, drug usage, and other factors. The major conclusions of the study were (1) there was no evidence that subjects involved in traffic accidents had a greater proportion of positive blood sample readings than did the controls, (2) drug usage was statistically unrelated to the number of traffic accidents subjects had incurred in their driving lifetimes, and (3) driving history and other factors were more strongly related to traffic accidents than drug usage. The major study recommendation was that a large scale survey be conducted to develop statistically reliable data to describe the nature of the drug-impaired driver problem.129