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Prevalence of alcohol and other drugs in fatally injured drivers
Author(s) -
Brady Joanne E.,
Li Guohua
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03993.x
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , driving under the influence , injury prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , conviction , demography , crash , human factors and ergonomics , psychiatry , emergency medicine , political science , computer science , law , programming language , pathology , sociology
Abstract Aim This study aims to examine the prevalence of alcohol and/or other drugs ( AOD ) in a large sample of fatally injured drivers. Design Using data from the F atality A nalysis R eporting S ystem for 2005–09, the authors examined the prevalence of AOD detected in fatally injured drivers in the U nited S tates. Setting Fatal motor vehicle crashes occurring on public roads. Participants Drivers who died within 1 hour of the crash in 14 states that performed toxicological testing on more than 80% of these drivers. Measurements The prevalence of AOD and multivariable‐adjusted prevalence ratios (a PR ). Findings Of the 20 150 fatally injured drivers studied, 57.3% tested positive for AOD , including 19.9% being positive for two or more substances. Alcohol was the most commonly detected substance, present in 40.2% of the fatally injured drivers, followed by cannabinols (10.5%), stimulants (9.0%), narcotics (5.7%) and depressants (4.0%). Multivariable analysis revealed that AOD was significantly more prevalent among drivers who died in single‐vehicle crashes [a PR 1.69, 95% confidence interval ( CI ): 1.62–1.76] or night‐time crashes (a PR 1.43, 95% CI : 1.39–1.47), or who had a driving‐while‐intoxicated conviction within the past 3 years (a PR 1.41, 95% CI : 1.35–1.47), and less prevalent among drivers who were 65 years or older (a PR 0.45, 95% CI : 0.42–0.49), Asian (a PR 0.47, 95% CI 0.41–0.53) or female (a PR 0.88, 95% CI : 0.85–0.91) or who were operating a motor carrier (a PR 0.41, 95% CI 0.34–0.48). Conclusions More than half of fatally injured drivers in the U nited S tates had been using AOD and approximately 20% had been using polydrugs. The prevalence of AOD use varies significantly with driver and crash characteristics.