The Norwegian Road Traffic Act prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol (A) and/or other psychoactive drugs (PD). In practice police officers refer the suspected driver to blood sampling without or with a clinical examination depending on suspicion of A or PD involvement, respectively. All blood samples are analyzed at one national institute. In PD cases written expert witness statements accompany the result of the clinical examination and blood concentration determinations. Over the past 10 years A-cases have declined from 10500 in 1983 to 5500 in 1993, while PD cases have increased from 800 to 3000 during the same period. In 1993 52 percent of the A-cases had BACs between 0.05 to 0.15, and 41 percent to 0.15, and 41 percent over 0.15. Additional analyses for PD in all A-samples during two months revealed such drugs in approximately 15 percent of cases. Combining the data gave a picture for the whole national sample of drivers apprehended under the suspicion of drunken or drugged driving: A only (above 0.05 BAC) 51 percent, PD only 18 percent, A plus PD 14 percent and 18 percent contained neither A nor PD. PD were present in 39 percent of cases with positive analytical results. (A)
Abstract