[Accidents and illicit drugs].
Since 1958, many efforts have been made to fight against driving under the influence of alcohol. As a result of numerous studies, it appears that illicit drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and opiates are often involved in traffic accidents. Among biological media easily accessible, saliva is considered as the most suitable medium for revealing a recent use whereas blood is undoubtedly the only medium which can be used for confirmation and quantification. Reliable analytical methods are now available. So, all elements are gathered for undertaking a real prevention program, including drugs of abuse testing in drivers. In Germany, Sarland has set us an example with very frequent roadside drug testing, and such an action conduced to a very important decrease in the number of fatal and corporal road accidents in this country.
Mura
Patrick
P
Laboratoire de Biochimie et Toxicologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, BP 577, 86021 Poitiers.
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods
D013287:Illicit Drugs