Randomly controlled drivers using minimally invasive sampling: assessment of drug prevalence in Western Switzerland over two time periods

BMC Public Health

Research

Nicolas Donzé¹  Federica Gilardi²  Jonathan Sidibé³  Marc Augsburger³  Timothée Joye³  Julien Déglon³  Aurélien Thomas⁴  Bernard Favrat⁵ 

[1] Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Unit, Valais Hospital, Avenue du Grand Champsec 86, 1950, Sion, Switzerland;Faculty Unit of Toxicology, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Chemin de la Vulliette 4, 1000, Lausanne 25, Switzerland;Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital, Geneva University Hospital, Chemin de la Vulliette 4, 1000, Lausanne 25, Switzerland;Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital, Geneva University Hospital, Chemin de la Vulliette 4, 1000, Lausanne 25, Switzerland;Faculty Unit of Toxicology, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Chemin de la Vulliette 4, 1000, Lausanne 25, Switzerland;Unit of traffic medicine and traffic psychology, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital, Geneva University Hospital, Rue Saint-Martin 26, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland;Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 44, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland;

关键词: Driving under the influence of drugs;    Prevention;    Psychoactive substances;    Roadside controls;    Minimally invasive sampling;    Oral fluids;    Dried blood spots;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-022-14883-2

 received in 2022-04-26, accepted in 2022-12-16,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAccording to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries lead to 1.3 million deaths each year and represent the leading cause of death for young adults under 30 years old. The use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals, is a well-known risk factor for road traffic injuries. Our study aims to assess the prevalence of substances consumed by drivers in western Switzerland. Such studies are pivotal to improving prevention and developing public awareness campaigns.MethodsTo assess the prevalence of psychoactive substances among drivers, roadside controls were performed in collaboration with local police, using their classical sampling procedures to detect drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol over two time periods (P1: 2006-2008, P2: 2017-2020). When impaired driving was not suspected by the police, minimally invasive sampling strategies (i.e., oral fluids during P1 and dried blood spots during P2) were performed on volunteer drivers after a road safety survey. A posteriori analyses and statistical interpretation were then performed.ResultsAmong the 1605 drivers included in the study, 1048 volunteers provided an oral fluid sample, while 299 provided a dried blood spot sample. The percentage of drivers testing positive for at least one substance that can impact driving abilities was stable over time, with a rate of 10.5% positivity measured over both periods. Considering the different categories of substances, a slight variation was observed between both periods, with 7.6 and 6.3% of pharmaceuticals and 3.6 and 4.9% of illicit drugs for P1 and P2, respectively. Regarding the consumption of illicit drugs, the highest percentage of positivity was measured in biological fluids of drivers under the age of 35, during nights and week-ends, periods which are considered particularly prone to fatal accidents for this age group. Disturbingly, the road safety survey highlighted that drivers’ perception of the risk of getting positively controlled while driving after drug consumption is low (3.3 on a 1-to-10 scale, N = 299).ConclusionThe number of positive cases measured in voluntary drivers who passed the preliminary police check demonstrates the importance of systematic biofluid sampling strategies regarding driving under the influence of psychoactive substances. Although the number of fatal road accidents globally has decreased over time, the results of this study reveal the need for both better prevention and deterrent processes that could potentially reduce the risk of fatal road accidents associated with drug consumption.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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