Drugs and Driving

Drugs and Driving is a compendium of papers from a symposium of the same title presented at the U.S. Transportation Research Board. This collection reviews the effects of five classes of drugs on driving (amphetamines, tranquilizers, barbiturates, narcotics, cannabis), the other studies being made on drugs and driving, as well as some countermeasure programs against drunk driving. The papers report that amphetamines can induce risky driving behavior, tranquilizers can increase traffic accident risks, barbiturates can degrade driving skills especially when the drug is combined with alcohol, while marijuana use can impair important driving skills. Another paper evaluates drug use and driving risk among high school students in Toronto: results show that the total effect of infrequent use of drugs on accidents is small compared to alcohol use. A study of out-patients in Finland notes that the combined used of alcohol and drugs tend to increase accident frequency. One paper refutes that Alcohol Safety Action Programs in the United States are ineffective. This collection can be helpful for sociologist, psychologists, psychiatrists, traffic safety officers, and heads of urban safety and traffic divisions.