Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving addresses many theoretical and practical issues related to the role played by alcohol and other psychoactive drugs on driving performance, road-traffic safety, and public health. Several key forensic issues are involved in the enforcement of laws regulating driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, including analytical toxicology, pharmacology of drug action, as well as the relationships between dose taken, concentration levels in the body, and impairment of performance and behavior. Our knowledge of drunken driving is much more comprehensive than drugged driving, so a large part of this book is devoted to alcohol impairment, as well as impairment caused by use of drugs other than alcohol. For convenience, the book is divided into four main sections. The first section gives some historical background about measuring alcohol in blood and breath as evidence for the prosecution of traffic offenders. The important role of the Breathalyzer instrument in traffic-law enforcement, especially in Australia, Canada, and the USA is presented along with a biographical sketch of its inventor (Professor Robert F. Borkenstein of Indiana University) with focus on the man, his work and his impact. The second section discusses several issues related to forensic blood and breath-alcohol alcohol analysis as evidence for prosecution of traffic offenders. This includes how the results should be interpreted in relation to impairment and an evaluation of common defense challenges. Because most countries have adopted concentration per se laws, the main thrust of the prosecution case is the suspect’s measured blood- or breath-alcohol concentration. This legal framework necessitates that the analytical methods used are "fit for purpose" and are subjected to rigorous quality assurance procedures. The third section gives a broad overview of the current state of knowledge about driving under the influence of non-alcohol drugs in various countries. This includes adoption of zero-tolerance laws, concentration per se statutes, and clinical evidence of driver impairment based on field sobriety tests and drug recognition expert evidence. The fourth section deals with epidemiology, enforcement, and countermeasures aimed at reducing the threat of drunken and drugged driving. All articles have appeared previously in the international journal Forensic Science Review, but all are completely updated with current data, references, and the latest research on developments since the articles were published. This book contains a convenient collection of the best articles covering recommendations for blood and breath testing methods, public policy relating to such methods, and forensic and legal implications of the enforcement of measures to counter driving under the influence.

Drugs, Driving and Traffic Safety gives a comprehensive overview of the effects of different medical conditions like neurological disorders, anxiety and depression and their pharmaceutical treatment on driving ability. In addition, the effects of alcohol and drugs of abuse are discussed. Leading experts present the different methodologies to examine effects of drugs on driving, and summarize the recent scientific evidence including epidemiological studies, roadside surveys, laboratory tests, driving simulators, and the standardized driving test. The volume includes guidelines of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) and the ICADTS Drugs List 2007. Drugs, Driving and Traffic Safety is written for physicians, psychiatrists and pharmacists who want to inform their patients who use psychoactive drugs.

Drugs and Driving is a compendium of papers from a symposium of the same title presented at the U.S. Transportation Research Board. This collection reviews the effects of five classes of drugs on driving (amphetamines, tranquilizers, barbiturates, narcotics, cannabis), the other studies being made on drugs and driving, as well as some countermeasure programs against drunk driving. The papers report that amphetamines can induce risky driving behavior, tranquilizers can increase traffic accident risks, barbiturates can degrade driving skills especially when the drug is combined with alcohol, while marijuana use can impair important driving skills. Another paper evaluates drug use and driving risk among high school students in Toronto: results show that the total effect of infrequent use of drugs on accidents is small compared to alcohol use. A study of out-patients in Finland notes that the combined used of alcohol and drugs tend to increase accident frequency. One paper refutes that Alcohol Safety Action Programs in the United States are ineffective. This collection can be helpful for sociologist, psychologists, psychiatrists, traffic safety officers, and heads of urban safety and traffic divisions.

This report provides a state-of-the-art review of the role and impact of drugs in road accident risk. It reviews the legislation, deterrence and roadside detection practices in member countries as well as preventative measures to combat drug use while driving.

Driving With Care: Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Driving Safety Education-Strategies for Responsible Living: The Participant′s Workbook, Level II Education, 2e is a 12-session, 24-hour DWI education program for first time offenders who indicate minimal if any problems, other than impaired driving, associated with AOD use, who have no prior offenses, no prior diagnosis of Substance Abuse or Substance Dependence, and no other problems related to AOD use or misuse. The key outcomes for this protocol are to prevent recidivism into DWI behavior and to prevent future AOD related problems.