Toxicology findings from drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving in Ontario (2008-2019).

Objective: This study examines the results of toxicological tests performed on blood and urine samples collected from suspected drug-impaired drivers in Ontario from 2008 to 2019. The report examines the results of toxicological analysis of the samples submitted, the characteristics of those drivers from whom samples were collected, and the temporal and situational circumstances that led to police investigations and sample collection to better understand drug-impaired driving behavior and to assist in the development and implementation of countermeasure strategies and programs.

Methods: Blood and urine samples were sent to the Center of Forensic Sciences where they were analyzed using standardized comprehensive toxicological analysis to test for a wide variety of potentially impairing drugs.

Enhancing the Standardized Field Sobriety Test to detect cannabis impairment: An observational study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore various tests of impairment that could potentially be added to the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to enhance its sensitivity to identify drivers whose abilities are adversely affected by cannabis.

Methods: An observational study was conducted in which participants were invited to use their own cannabis at the research facility. Once prior to cannabis use and at four times during the 150 min after cannabis use, participants performed the three tests of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) (i.

Cannabis, alcohol and other drug findings in fatally injured drivers in Ontario.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of cannabis, alcohol and other drug use in drivers of motor vehicles who died in crashes in the Canadian province of Ontario from January 2016 through December 2018 along with the characteristics of these drivers and some of the circumstances of the crash in which they were involved.

Methods: Toxicological tests were performed on blood samples obtained from 921 driver fatalities for whom postmortem blood samples were submitted to the Center of Forensic Sciences for analysis. The results were coded into a database along with basic demographic and crash characteristics and examined for prominent characteristics and patterns.

Predicting categories of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers using the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program tests.

The purpose of this study was to statistically determine which combination(s) of drug-related signs and symptoms from the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) protocol best predict the drug category used by the suspected drug-impaired driver. Data from 1,512 completed DEC evaluations of suspected impaired drivers subsequently found to have ingested central nervous system (CNS) depressants, CNS stimulants, narcotic analgesics, and cannabis were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure. A set of evaluations completed on drug-free subjects was also included.

Estimating the harms and costs of cannabis-attributable collisions in the Canadian provinces.

Introduction: In 2012, 10% of Canadians used cannabis and just under half of those who use cannabis were estimated to have driven under the influence of cannabis. Substantial evidence has accumulated to indicate that driving after cannabis use increases collision risk significantly; however, little is known about the extent and costs associated with cannabis-related traffic collisions. This study quantifies the costs of cannabis-related traffic collisions in the Canadian provinces.

Can progress in reducing alcohol-impaired driving fatalities be resumed? Results of a workshop sponsored by the Transportation Research Board, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation Committee (ANB50).

Objective: Despite successes in the 1980s and early 1990s, progress in reducing impaired driving fatalities in the United States has stagnated in recent years. Since 1997, the percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes with illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels has remained at approximately 20 to 22%. Many experts believe that public complacency, competing social and public health issues, and the lack of political fortitude have all contributed to this stagnation.

An evaluation of immediate roadside prohibitions for drinking drivers in British Columbia: findings from roadside surveys.

Objective: The purpose was to determine the impact of new immediate roadside prohibitions (IRPs) for drinking drivers introduced in British Columbia in September 2010 as assessed by random roadside surveys of alcohol and drug use among nighttime drivers.

Methods: Two roadside surveys were conducted prior to and following the introduction of IRPs. Drivers were randomly selected from the traffic stream in 5 cities and asked to provide a breath sample to determine alcohol content and a sample of oral fluid to be tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs.

An examination of the validity of the standardized field sobriety test in detecting drug impairment using data from the Drug Evaluation and Classification program.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the validity of the 3 components of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST), including the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN), One Leg Stand (OLS), and Walk and Turn (WAT) tests, in identifying impairment among suspected drug-impaired drivers using data recorded during drug evaluation and classification (DEC) evaluations.

Methods: Data from 2142 completed DEC evaluations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants, CNS depressants, narcotic analgesics, cannabis, or no drugs were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.

Results: All drug categories were significantly associated with impaired performance.

Simplifying the process for identifying drug combinations by drug recognition experts.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to statistically identify the set of drug-related cues from Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) evaluations that significantly predict the categories of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers.

Methods: Data from 819 completed Canadian DEC evaluations of combinations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants with cannabis, CNS stimulants with narcotic analgesics, cannabis with alcohol, and no-drug cases were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure.

Results: Eleven clinical indicators from the DEC evaluations significantly enhanced the prediction of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers, including condition of the eyes, lack of convergence, rebound dilation, reaction to light, mean pulse rate, presence of visible injection sites, performance on the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, pupil size in darkness, performance on the One-Leg Stand Test, muscle tone, and performance on the Walk-and-Turn Test.

A roadside survey of alcohol and drug use among drivers in British Columbia.

Objective: The purpose was to determine the prevalence of alcohol and drug use among a random sample of nighttime drivers.

Methods: Drivers were randomly selected from the traffic stream in three cities in British Columbia and asked to provide a breath sample to determine alcohol content and a sample of oral fluid to be tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs. The survey was conducted between the hours of 9:00 p.

A meta-analytic review of school-based prevention for cannabis use.

This investigation used meta-analytic techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based prevention programming in reducing cannabis use among youth aged 12 to 19. It summarized the results from 15 studies published in peer-reviewed journals since 1999 and identified features that influenced program effectiveness. The results from the set of 15 studies indicated that these school-based programs had a positive impact on reducing students' cannabis use (d = 0.

Toward a more parsimonious approach to drug recognition expert evaluations.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to statistically identify the set of drug-related cues from Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) evaluations that significantly predict the substance used by suspected drug-impaired drivers.

Methods: Data from 742 completed Canadian DEC evaluations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, narcotic analgesic, and cannabis cases were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure.

Results: Nine clinical indicators from the DEC evaluations significantly enhanced the prediction of drug category, including pulse rate, condition of the eyes and eyelids, lack of convergence, hippus, reaction to light, rebound dilation, systolic blood pressure, and the presence of injection sites.

Driving after drinking in Canada: findings from the Canadian Addiction Survey.

Background: Despite substantial decreases in the magnitude of the alcohol-crash problem over the past 25 years, many Canadians continue to drive under the influence of alcohol, causing thousands of serious injuries and deaths every year.

Methods: Data from the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) were used to determine the prevalence of self-reported driving after drinking and the characteristics of those who engage in the behaviour.

Results: Overall, 11.

Evaluation of the Drug Evaluation and Classification program: a critical review of the evidence.

Objective: A critical review of the existing evaluation studies on the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program was conducted to determine the validity and accuracy of the technique for identifying drivers under the influence of drugs.

Methods: Studies were divided into two categories--laboratory studies and field (i.e.

Sleepiness among night-time drivers: relationship to blood alcohol concentration and other factors.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the distribution and correlates of subjective sleepiness among the general night-time driving population.

Methods: The survey took place in three British Columbia communities in June 2003 between 21:00 hours to 03:00 hours. Sites and vehicles were selected randomly.

Drinking on campus: self-reports and breath tests.

Objective: Concern about excessive alcohol consumption by college students has been raised by surveys indicating that more than 40% of students are "heavy" drinkers. This definition is based on students' reports of consuming five or more drinks (four or more for women) on an occasion sometime during the past 2 weeks. The present survey examines the degree to which this 2-week 5+/4+ drink criterion characterizes a student's pattern of alcohol use, and whether a 5+/4+ criterion for a drinking occasion is a valid indicator of high blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

The effects of drinking-driving laws: a test of the differential deterrence hypothesis.

Aims: Ontario introduced an Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension (ADLS) law in 1996, whereby a person with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit of 80 mg%, or who refused to provide a breath sample, would have his or her driver's licence suspended immediately for a period of 90 days. We test the differential deterrence hypothesis which would predict that social or lighter drinkers would be more affected by the Administrative Driver's License Suspension law than heavier drinkers.

Design: Data from the 1996 and 1997 cycles of the Ontario Drug Monitor, a general population survey of Ontario adults (monthly cross-sectional surveys), were employed (response rate 64-67%).

The early effects of Ontario's Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension law on driver fatalities with a BAC > 80 mg%.

Background: On November 29, 1996, Ontario introduced an Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension (ADLS) law, which required that anyone charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of 80 mg% or failing to provide a breath sample would have their licence suspended for a period of 90 days at the time the charge was laid. This study evaluates the early effects of Ontario's ADLS law on alcohol-involved driver fatalities.

Methods: Interrupted time series analysis with ARIMA modelling was applied to the monthly proportion of drivers killed in Ontario with a BAC over 80 mg% for the period Jan.