ALL ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT FATALITIES UNDERGOING POST MORTEM EXAMINATION AT THE INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC PATHOLOGY, BRISBANE FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 2, 1975 TO SEPTEMBER 6, 1977 UNDERWENT TOXICOLOGICAL SCREENING OF TISSUE AND BLOOD SAMPLES FOR DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. CHILDREN UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE AND THOSE WHO SURVIVED 12 HOURS OR LONGER AFTER THE ACCIDENT WERE EXCLUDED. A TOTAL OF 229 CASES, 49 OF WHOM WERE PASSENGERS, MET THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN THIS STUDY. OF THESE, 97 (42 PER CENT) WERE POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL ALONE, 12 (5 PER CENT) FOR DRUGS ALONE AND 6 (3 PER CENT) FOR DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. ALL DRUGS FOUND WERE PRESCRIPTION ITEMS AND WERE PRESENT IN THERAPEUTIC QUANTITIES EXCEPT IN TWO CASES WHERE POTENTIALLY FATAL TISSUE LEVELS WERE FOUND. MARIJUANA WAS UNABLE TO BE TESTED FOR IN THIS SURVEY. THE RESULTS ARE ANALYSED AND THE FINDINGS DISCUSSED (A). THE NUMBER OF THE COVERING ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE IS IRRD NO 255423.
Samenvatting