Drugged driving (DD) is detected frequently among Norwegian drivers, at a relative rate which is probably the highest in Europe. The Norwegian Road Traffic Act against DD requires documentation of "influence" (impairment), which during the last 10-15 years has been developed into a system of taking a blood sample (by force if needed) on due suspicion, accompanied by a clinical examination by a police physician, analysis of all blood samples in one national institute with standardised (broad) screening and confirmation analyses and reporting of interpreted quantitative results. In most cases the DD suspects appear to represent drug abusers with a high rate of recidivism to DD. Accordingly, other countries with drug abuse problems comparable to Norway might have a marked upward potential for detection of DD. Points of importance for the frequent detection are ample use of roadside breath alcohol screening, low thresholds for requesting blood sampling and clinical examination shortly after the driving episode and the courts' acceptance of expert witness statements integrating analytical and clinical results with general knowledge about the drugs in question.
Samenvatting