In the last few years, driving under the influence of drugs is recognised more and more as a problem for traffic safety in Europe. There is a universally recognised need for the development of a valid, rapid and affordable roadside test for the major drugs. In countries with impairment-type laws, roadside analysis can confirm the suspicion of the police officer and focus the attention on drugs. In countries with ‘per se’ legislation, screening devices are crucial for the detection of driving under the influence of drugs, before further measures (e.g. blood sampling, temporary driving prohibition, …) can be taken. During the first phases of the Rosita project, we prepared an inventory of the drugs that cause driver impairment and of the devices that are available to detect drugs in body fluids at the roadside (), and made a survey of the needs and wishes of the police forces. One of the results of this last survey was that oral fluid was the preferred sample to be tested at the roadside. Work package 4 of Rosita involved the evaluation of the available devices in the field. The reports of each individual country are available separately. The aim of this report is to consolidate all the data and to come to more general conclusions. This analysis of the joint data was not always easy because of the different analytical protocols in the respective countries, which are based on the methods validated in each of the participating laboratories, but also on the different legislation. (Author/publisher) For more information see http://www.rosita.org/
Samenvatting