As part of the IMMORTAL project of 5th Framework Programme, a study regarding drugs in accident involved drivers took place in Denmark. The main objectives of this study were 1. To give an indication whether drug use may contribute to traffic accidents; 2. To get information on characteristics of the drug positive drivers and their drug use; 3. To get information on drivers’ knowledge about drugs and their attitudes to driving under the influence of drugs, alone or in combination with alcohol. Injured drivers from traffic accidents who were treated in two selected hospitals were asked to give a saliva sample (the correct term is oral fluid), a blood sample or both. The samples were screened for the following six drug groups: Opiates, incl. morphine and codeine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, incl. ecstasy, cannabis (tetrahydrocannabiol and metabolites), cocaine (cocaine and metabolites) and benzodiazepines. Screenings were carried out by means of Cozart Microplate EIA kit. Positive screenings were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). 333 patients took part in the survey. In total, the samples from 26 patients were confirmed positive for one or more of the six drug groups. However, three of the drug-positive patients were excluded from the survey: One did not know whether he had been the driver and two patients had the drugs after the accident but before the sample was taken as part of their treatment. In addition to the drug-positive drivers, another 26 patients had reported drug use less than 24 hours prior to the accident. Further information about IMMORTAL can be found on the website see http://www.immortal.or.at/ (Author/publisher)
Abstract