Driving under the influence of drugs, also known as drugged driving, is a growing problem in many countries. In the United States alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2006. Studies have also found that drugs were used by 10 to 22 percent of drivers involved in crashes, often in combination with alcohol.

Research into drugged driving and its effects on traffic safety has been hampered by a lack of standard techniques for studies in the field. There simply is no proven on-the-spot way to test drivers—in other words, there is no drug “breathalyzer” technology and no standard measurements to evaluate drugged driving.

Researchers studying drugged driving use a wide range of different measurements and test for a variety of drugs that differ among studies, making comparisons between studies that could advance the science difficult. To overcome these barriers, the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) convened a 4-day meeting in 2006 to develop formal guidelines for research on drugged driving, which was supported by international organizations including the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Three groups, focusing on behavioral research, epidemiology, and toxicology, discussed issues including ethical and legal issues in the field, the most important drug classes on which to focus research, and the best methods for detecting drug use in impaired drivers. Draft guidelines were posted on the Web sites of the ICADTS and the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists for a 45-day comment period to collect and ultimately incorporate feedback from experts around the world.

The final guidelines, including 32 recommendations for behavioral research, 40 recommendations for epidemiology, and 64 recommendations for toxicology, were published in the August 2008 issue of the journal Addiction. “It is anticipated that these guidelines will improve significantly the overall quality of drugged driving research and facilitate future cross-study comparisons nationally and globally,” conclude the authors.

• Click here to view the guidelines published in Addiction

-- NIH

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