The proportion of samples that tested positive for alcohol had not changed since 2008-2009, and the proportions that tested positive for benzodiazepines and amphetamines were lower. There are several possible reasons for the reduction: Implementation of legal limits for 28 drugs in 2012-2016, increased use of drug recognition tests, implementation of drug screening instruments, and automatic number plate recognition by the police since 2010; more focused enforcement of the driving under the influence (DUI) law; better information provided to drivers; and changes in drug prescriptions.
Objective: To study the association between self-reported road traffic crashes (RTCs) and recent use of alcohol, medicinal and illicit drug use and self-reported speeding the previous two years. Methods: During the period from April 2016 to April 2017, drivers of cars, vans, motorcycles and mopeds were stopped in a Norwegian roadside survey performed in collaboration with the police. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The drivers were asked to deliver an oral fluid sample (mixed saliva), which was analyzed for alcohol and 39 illicit and medicinal drugs and metabolites. In addition, data on age, sex, and self-reported speeding tickets and RTCs during the previous two years were collected. Results: A total of 5031 participants were included in the study, and 4.9% tested positive for the use of one or more illicit or medicinal drug or alcohol. We found a significant, positive association between the use of cannabis and RTC involvement (OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.05-3.57, p=0.035) and also between previous speeding tickets and RTC involvement (OR=1.39, 95% CI=1.08-1.80, p=0.012). In addition, older age groups were found to have a significant, negative association with RTC involvement, with ORs equal to or less than 0.49, when using age group 16-24 as reference. Conclusion: Speeding, as an indicator of risk behavior, and the use of cannabis was associated with previous RTC involvement, while increasing age was significantly associated with lower risk. This is consistent with previous studies on RTCs.
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