Mortality among subjects previously apprehended for driving under the influence of traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs.
BACKGROUND
Most studies in the field of impaired driving have focused on the hazards represented by impaired drivers to the rest of society; there has been little follow-up of the drivers themselves. The aim of this study was to establish mortality rates among subjects previously apprehended for driving under the influence of traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs, alone or in combination with alcohol.


METHODS
A prospective cohort study of all drivers aged 20-49 years, apprehended in Norway in 1992-1996 and testing positive for traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs in blood, outcome variable: death.


METHODS
805 drivers (598 males, 207 females). Mean follow-up period: 6.8 years. Information on deaths was collected from Statistics Norway.


RESULTS
During the follow-up period, 139 of the previously apprehended drivers died (110 males, 29 females). The calculated standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was 15.8 (95% CI: 13.0-19.0) for male and 20.0 (95% CI: 13.4-28.7) for female drivers.


CONCLUSIONS
Apprehension on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, combined with detection of traffic-hazardous medicinal drugs in the blood, seems to indicate an elevated risk of premature death in the age group 20-49 years. Secondary prevention of continued drug use could save lives in this drug user group.
Hausken
Anne Margrethe
AM
Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403 Oslo, Norway. anmh@fhi.no
Skurtveit
Svetlana
S
Christophersen
Asbjørg S
AS
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002423:Cause of Death; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000097:blood; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs