This report is a review of current knowledge on the effects of drugs on driving. It was requested by the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales on behalf of the Drug Driving Task Force. The NSW Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee on Road Safety, Staysafe recommended that the Drug Driving Task Force should identify the potential road safety problems posed by drivers who drive while affected by prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications, driver who have combined alcohol and drugs, drivers who use psychostimulants in an attempt to offset fatigue, and drivers who use prohibited drugs or illegally use drugs available through prescription. The present project is a critical review of literature relevant to these recommendations. It does not, however, discuss in any more than the most superficial manner the question of countermeasures, The investigation was required to cover three broad areas: 1) psychostimulant use by heavy vehicle drivers and others; 2) drugs used for medication; and 3) drugs used for "recreational" purposes, both legal and illegal.
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