Drug Testing and Traffic Safety: What You Need to Know

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15260562022PDFTech ReportBerning, AmySmith, R.C.Drexler, MWochinger, KathrynUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Behavioral Safety ResearchUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesDrug testsImpaired driversDrugged driversFatalitiesFatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)DOT HS 813 264Berning, Amy; Wochinge, KathrynDrugged driving is both of great interest and very complex. This report continues that discussion by examining how drug use data from people involved in a motor vehicle crashes is entered into NHTSA\u2019s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a cornerstone of NHTSA's information collection systems. It has given Federal and State agencies, legislators, advocacy groups, and researchers key data about fatal motor vehicle crashes for all road user types and on all public roads. It is internationally respected for its breadth and depth of data. But reporting drug use across a myriad of substances, and with varying testing protocols across forensic laboratories and across States can lead to confusion about the meaning of results. Currently, the limitations described in this report constrain interpretation of drug test results data, including comparisons across jurisdictions or years. In some other research areas with missing or incomplete data, estimates may still be useful. This is not the case with FARS drug data. The report discusses NHTSA\u2019s actions for improving the quantity and quality of drug data in FARS.129