In this study, 1816 injured drivers were admitted to the hospital. The researchers compared the police reports to the toxicology analysis and found that alcohol was detected in 272 drivers (15.0%), THC (tetrahydrocannabinol - the principal psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) in 136 (7.5%), other recreational drugs in 166 (9.1%), and potentially impairing medications in 363 (20.0%). Police reported that the driver’s ability was impaired by alcohol or that alcohol was a possible contributory factor in 64.1% of the crashes involving alcohol-positive drivers. Drug impairment or drugs as a possible contributory factor was reported in 5.9% of the crashes involving THC-positive drivers, and in 16.9% of the crashes involving drivers who tested positive for other recreational drugs. Medication impairment was reported in only 2.2% of the crashes involving medication-positive drivers.
Police documentation of drug use in injured drivers: Implications for monitoring and preventing drug-impaired driving
who performs … Police were better at recognizing drivers who had used other recreational drugs.
They documented drug involvement in 28 of 166 drivers (16.9%) who tested positive for …