For the past two decades road crashes have been the leading cause of death, injury and disability among young adults in most industrialised countries. This paper examines the magnitude and significance of this problem in terms of its health, social and economic consequences, and reviews the role of alcohol and other drugs as causes of the problem. While it has been established that young drivers are over-represented in road crashes, even when the amount of exposure to risk is controlled, it has not been clearly established why this is so. Speculation abounds concerning the many factors that could render young drivers at high risk of collision-involvement, but much careful research is still needed to identify what the critical variables are. One factor that has been the subject of considerable research is impairment of driving-related skills resulting from the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. And, while a modestly solid body of research has been accumulating on the role of alcohol in young driver crashes, information on drugs other than alcohol is fragmented and sparse. This paper reviews what is known about the contribution of alcohol and other drugs to the collision-involvement of young drivers and what major information gaps still need to be filled. (A)
Samenvatting