Prevalence of drugged drivers among non-fatal driver casualties presenting to a trauma centre in Hong Kong.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of abusive drug exposure among non-fatal motor vehicle driver casualties presenting to a designated trauma centre in Hong Kong.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Designated trauma centre/regional accident and emergency department in Hong Kong.


METHODS
Non-fatal motor vehicle driver casualties who presented to the trauma centre from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007.


METHODS
Screening of abusive drug exposure using commercial bedside urine immunoassay kits.


RESULTS
Drug screening was performed in 395 injured drivers, 10% of whom tested positive for the drugs of interest. Ketamine was the most commonly detected abusive substance (found in 45% of the subjects). A significantly higher proportion of young drivers (aged <25 years) screened positive (odds ratio=2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-5.2; P=0.04), with the rate being 21%. The presence of these drugs in urine was related to the time of occurrence of the crash; those occurring between midnight and dawn revealed a trend towards a higher proportion of casualties testing drug-positive (odds ratio=2.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-5.3; P=0.07). There were no significant differences in the frequency of persons testing positive for the screened drugs with respect to gender, class of motor vehicle driven, or the day of the week on which the crash occurred.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of drugged driving among non-fatal casualties in our series of Hong Kong drivers was 10%. The frequency of such drivers testing positive for drugs was significantly higher in persons aged less than 25 years. These findings indicate a need to amend existing laws and implement on-site drug screening for suspected drugged drivers.
Wong
O F
OF
Accident and Emergency Department, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong.
Tsui
K L
KL
Lam
Tommy S K
TS
Sze
N N
NN
Wong
S C
SC
Lau
F L
FL
Liu
S H
SH
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers; D055815:Young Adult