In Victoria there is however limited information concerning the individual characteristics of those driving with alcohol and other drugs in their system. Using the National Coroners Information System (NCIS), the aim was to explore person-based characteristics of those killed. The Victorian Road Crash Information System was used to supplement and add value to these observations. For the year 2004, 97 drivers, motorcyclists and pedestrians were identified as returning a positive toxicology finding for alcohol and / or other drug. Notably, 49 per cent of these tested positive to alcohol followed by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (20 per cent), and amphetamines (9 per cent); emphasis was therefore placed on alcohol and THC in this paper. Polydrug use was relatively common. Those killed were predominantly young males (90 per cent alcohol; 80 per cent THC), with factors such as unemployment, prior offence history, substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and intentional self-harm highlighting the challenge faced by road safety enforcement agencies and those designing enforcement and educational campaigns. The use of NCIS also permitted the exploration of contributing crash factors, as noted by the Coroner, with excessive speed noted in 25 per cent of alcohol cases in contrast to 10 per cent of THC cases. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E216178.
Abstract