Use of alcohol and drugs among road accident victims.

The objective of the pilot study - which was held in Rotterdam - was to establish the extent of alcohol consumption among drivers, riders and pedestrians admitted to hospital as a result of road accidents and to collect data on the circumstances in which the accidents took place. It has become clear from this survey that it is not easy to design a procedure that produces a representative sample of victims with a complete set of data. Despite the limitations of the sample, it may be presumed that drugs have less effect on road safety than alcohol, although this is not to say that the problem is negligible.