Historique
Article de Périodique
Prevalence of alcohol and other drugs and the concentrations in blood of drivers killed in road traffic crashes in Sweden (2014)
Auteur(s) :
J. AHLNER ;
A. HOLMGREN ;
A. W. JONES
Article en page(s) :
177-183
Refs biblio. :
30
Domaine :
Alcool / Alcohol ; Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Discipline :
EPI (Epidémiologie / Epidemiology)
Thésaurus géographique
SUEDE
Thésaurus mots-clés
CONDUITE DE VEHICULE
;
ACCIDENT
;
ALCOOL
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
;
PREVALENCE
;
ALCOOLEMIE
;
SANG
;
ETUDE RETROSPECTIVE
;
TOXICOLOGIE
;
AUTOPSIE
;
ANALYSE CHIMIQUE
;
EVOLUTION
;
POLYCONSOMMATION
Résumé :
FRANÇAIS :
En Suède, entre 2008 et 2011, 21 % des 895 conducteurs tués dans un accident de la route impliquait l'alcool. En comparaison, seulement 2,5 % des accidents ont été reliés à des drogues illégales, principalement du THC et des amphétamines. 1,8 % des cas combinaient la double présence d'alcool et de drogue illégale. Les auteurs ont écrit que « comparée à l'alcool, la prévalence de drogues illicites et psycho-actives était assez faible en dépit d'une augmentation dramatique du nombre de conducteurs aux facultés amoindries par les drogues, et arrêtés par la police après l'introduction de la loi tolérance zéro en 1999 ». [IACM]
ENGLISH:
Background: Drunk or drug-impaired drivers represent a major public health and societal problem worldwide. Because over 95% of drivers killed on the roads in Sweden are autopsied, reliable information is available about the use of alcohol and/or other drug before the crash.
Methods: This retrospective 4-year study (2008-2011) used a forensic toxicology database (TOXBASE) to evaluate the concentrations of alcohol and other drugs in blood samples from drivers killed in road-traffic crashes.
Results: The mean age of all victims (N = 895) was 48 ± 20 years, and the majority were male (86%). In 504 drivers (56%), the results of toxicological analysis were negative and these victims were older; mean age (± SD) 47 ± 20 years, than alcohol positive cases (35 ± 14 years) and illicit drug users (34 ± 15 years). In 21% of fatalities, blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was above the statutory limit for driving (0.2 g/L), although the median BAC was appreciably higher (1.72 g/L). Illicit drugs (mainly amphetamine and cannabis) were identified in ~7% of victims, either alone (2.5%), together with alcohol (1.8%) or a prescription drug (2%). The psychoactive prescription drugs identified were mainly benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics and tramadol, which were found in the blood of 7.6% of crash victims.
Conclusions: The high median BAC in fatally-injured drivers speaks strongly towards alcohol-induced impairment as being responsible for the crash. Compared with alcohol, the prevalence of illicit and psychoactive prescription drugs was fairly low despite a dramatic increase in the number of drug-impaired drivers arrested by the police after a zero-tolerance law was introduced in 1999.
En Suède, entre 2008 et 2011, 21 % des 895 conducteurs tués dans un accident de la route impliquait l'alcool. En comparaison, seulement 2,5 % des accidents ont été reliés à des drogues illégales, principalement du THC et des amphétamines. 1,8 % des cas combinaient la double présence d'alcool et de drogue illégale. Les auteurs ont écrit que « comparée à l'alcool, la prévalence de drogues illicites et psycho-actives était assez faible en dépit d'une augmentation dramatique du nombre de conducteurs aux facultés amoindries par les drogues, et arrêtés par la police après l'introduction de la loi tolérance zéro en 1999 ». [IACM]
ENGLISH:
Background: Drunk or drug-impaired drivers represent a major public health and societal problem worldwide. Because over 95% of drivers killed on the roads in Sweden are autopsied, reliable information is available about the use of alcohol and/or other drug before the crash.
Methods: This retrospective 4-year study (2008-2011) used a forensic toxicology database (TOXBASE) to evaluate the concentrations of alcohol and other drugs in blood samples from drivers killed in road-traffic crashes.
Results: The mean age of all victims (N = 895) was 48 ± 20 years, and the majority were male (86%). In 504 drivers (56%), the results of toxicological analysis were negative and these victims were older; mean age (± SD) 47 ± 20 years, than alcohol positive cases (35 ± 14 years) and illicit drug users (34 ± 15 years). In 21% of fatalities, blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was above the statutory limit for driving (0.2 g/L), although the median BAC was appreciably higher (1.72 g/L). Illicit drugs (mainly amphetamine and cannabis) were identified in ~7% of victims, either alone (2.5%), together with alcohol (1.8%) or a prescription drug (2%). The psychoactive prescription drugs identified were mainly benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics and tramadol, which were found in the blood of 7.6% of crash victims.
Conclusions: The high median BAC in fatally-injured drivers speaks strongly towards alcohol-induced impairment as being responsible for the crash. Compared with alcohol, the prevalence of illicit and psychoactive prescription drugs was fairly low despite a dramatic increase in the number of drug-impaired drivers arrested by the police after a zero-tolerance law was introduced in 1999.
Affiliation :
Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Linköping, Sweden