This paper presents some results from a study of the drug use of Finnish drivers, whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was less than the Finnish mandatory limit of 0.05%, and who were involved in non-fatal traffic accidents. In 1991, alcohol was involved in 1554 out of 9374 injury road accidents in Finland. There was a total of 39,983 accidents. Police requested 30,839 analyses from cases where DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs) was suspected. In 21,723 of these cases, drinking was claimed to have occurred after driving. 3910 of these drivers were involved in a traffic accident, and 247 had a BAC less than 0.05% at the time. Drugs were analysed in 206 of these cases. After drug analyses, the drivers were classified into three groups: (1) drug abusers (57 cases); (2) those with therapeutic drug use (51 cases); and (3) those with no drug use detected (98 cases). Cannabis was found in 20 cases, and benzodiazepines, amphetamine and barbiturates in 13 cases each. Drug abuse was thus found to be highly associated with road traffic accidents among drivers with a low BAC. Young people are often involved in such accidents, and the Finnish police recognise this problem.
Abstract