title: Effects of alcohol (BAC 0.5‰) and ecstasy (MDMA 100 mg) on simulated driving performance and traffic safety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An increasing number of fatal road-accidents have been reported in which ecstasy was found in the blood of drivers. Although, ecstasy is frequently found to have been used in combination with alcohol, studies on the acute effects of ecstasy co-administered with alcohol on driving performance are relatively rare.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to establish the extent of driver impairment as a consequence of ecstasy or combined ecstasy and alcohol use as compared to driving under the influence of 0.3‰, 0.5‰ and 0.8‰ alcohol. Furthermore, subjective performance was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alcohol and ecstasy mainly influenced automated driving performance such as lateral and speed control. However, small to no effects of the substances were found on more complex driving behaviour. Overall, variance within the different driving measures was high especially when participants were treated with 3.4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and alcohol. Furthermore, equivalence testing showed that combined use may lead to impaired driving for some, but not all, drivers. Participants rated their own performance to be slightly worse than normal in both studies. Since driving was actually seriously deteriorated, this was a falsely positive assessment of their condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dissociation between subjective perceptions and objective performance decrements are important notions for traffic safety since this may affect a driver's judgement of whether or not it is safe to drive. For example, an intoxicated individual might decide to drive because the feelings of alertness caused by MDMA cloud the impairing effects of other drugs such as alcohol, thereby creating a potentially serious risk for traffic safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, the Netherlands. j.l.veldstra@rug.nl
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Veldstra
authors.forename: Karel A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Brookhuis
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Waard
authors.forename: Barbara H W
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Molmans
authors.forename: Alain G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Verstraete
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skopp
authors.forename: Ricarda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jantos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
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