Abstract
Much recent evidence has suggested that illicit drug taking in the community as a whole has increased considerably since 1987, but there was little evidence on whether this increase has been reflected in the driving community. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) therefore began a new study, in October 1996, to look at the current incidence of drugs in road fatalities. This three-year study was completed in October 1999 and the results from more than 1100 cases show that illicit drug taking (mainly cannabis) has increased by a factor of five since the earlier study. Over the same period, the incidence of medicinal drugs and alcohol has remained more or less the same.