title: [Amphetamine use by truck drivers on highways of Sao Paulo State: a risk for the occurrence of traffic accidents?].
abstract: The use of amphetamines in Brazil is common among truck drivers, which may be an important factor in the occurrence of traffic accidents. This article seeks to estimate the prevalence of amphetamine use among truck drivers. Drivers (N = 134) were stopped on two different highways in Sao Paulo state and they were asked to answer a questionnaire and provide a urine sample for toxicological analysis. All data were analyzed on Stata 8.0. All participants were males with low levels of schooling, whose mean age was 40.8 years. The presence of amphetamines was detected in 10.8% of all urine samples collected, being commonly justified in order to make truck drivers able to maintain their state of awareness. Amphetamine use was detected among truck drivers on Sao Paulo highways. The problem is that when the stimulant effects wear off, sleepiness due to sleep deprivation reduces concentration and good driver performance, making drivers vulnerable to traffic accidents and the related effects.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Legal, Ética Médica e Medicina Social e do Trabalho, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 01246-903. julianatakitane@gmail.com
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takitane
authors.forename: Lucio Garcia
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Ligia Góes
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Keziah Cristina Barbosa Gruber
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Daniel Romero
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yonamine
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Leyton
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001938:Brazil; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000661:Amphetamine