No studies have yet been made of high school drug users which determine the frequency of accidents and the frequency of drug related accidents, with comparisons of driving exposure while under various drug effects. The present study attempts all of these tasks. The study population was 1538 upper level high school students in Toronto, chosen at random. Anonymous questionnaires of known validity were used to collect information about drug use, accidents, violations, drug related accidents and violations, and numbers of drug-driving occasions. Of the 1538 students, 710 had driven in the past year. About 15% reported an accident and 20% a driving offence. Users of all drugs more often reported accidents than non-users but the results were statistically significant for tobacco, marihuana, opiates, speed, LSD and other hallucinogens. Only 2·7% had an alcohol-influenced accident and 2·0% a drug-influenced accident. Exposure to drinking and driving was far more common than drug use and driving (56% of students compared to 1 to 6%). When exposure to drug related driving occasions are considered LSD, tranquillizers and stimulants are the most dangerous drugs and they are more dangerous than alcohol. The infrequent use of drugs makes their total effect on accidents small compared to alcohol.
Abstract