Factors related to the low-risk perception of driving after cannabis use.

Introduction: Modifying risk perceptions related to driving after cannabis use (DACU) could deter individuals from enacting this behavior, as low-risk perception is associated with DACU engagement. This study identified sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, other driving behaviors, peer norms, and psychological characteristics that are associated with lower risk perception regarding DACU.

Methods: Canadian drivers aged 17-35 who have used cannabis in the past year (n = 1,467) completed an online questionnaire.

Typologies of Canadian young adults who drive after cannabis use: A two-step cluster analysis.

Young adults that drive after cannabis use (DACU) may not share all the same characteristics. This study aimed to identify typologies of Canadians who engage in DACU. About 910 cannabis users with a driver's license (17-35 years old) who have engaged in DACU completed an online questionnaire.

"Outta my way!" Individual and environmental correlates of interactions between pedestrians and vehicles during street crossings.

Because pedestrian crash rates remain lower than other collision types, surrogate measures such as traffic interactions are now used in road safety research to complement crash history. Using naturalistic data collection, we sought to assess 1) the likelihood of occurrence of interactions between pedestrians and vehicles based on individual and crossing characteristics; and 2) differences in interaction characteristics between children, adult and senior pedestrians. Observations of pedestrian crossing behaviours (n=4687) were recorded at 278 crossings.

Relationships between frequency of driving under the influence of cannabis, self-reported reckless driving and risk-taking behavior observed in a driving simulator.

Introduction: The role of cannabis consumption in traffic crashes is unclear and the causal link between cannabis and collisions is still to be demonstrated. While cannabis use is very likely to impair driving ability, there is as yet no overwhelming evidence that cannabis use in isolation contributes more to collisions than other characteristics inherent to cannabis users. As noted in a growing body of literature, individuals driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) seem to exhibit a general reckless driving style putting them at higher risk to be involved in traffic crashes.

Differentiating risky and aggressive driving: further support of the internal validity of the Dula Dangerous Driving Index.

The Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) is a cross-cultural validated instrument that measures simultaneously various manifestations of behaviours, cognitions, and affects associated with dangerous driving. The aims of the study were to translate the DDDI into French and then to verify the validity and reliability of the French version of the scale by means of observed behaviours on a driving simulator, and of self-reported measures of driving behaviours, personality and sociodemographic characteristics. A first sample of 395 drivers completed self-reported questionnaires and a second sample of 75 male drivers also completed tasks on a driving simulator.

Measurement of readiness to reduce driving speed: a pilot study.

Speeding is a preventable risky behavior that contributes to risk of accident. Readiness to change reflects an individual's recognition of and desire to change behavior. No measure to identify readiness to change has yet been validated for speeding.

Predictors of parental risk perceptions: the case of child pedestrian injuries in school context.

The objective of this article is to explore the factors that influence parental risk perceptions of child pedestrian injuries in the elementary school context. Parents (n=193) from six different schools responded to a questionnaire on road safety, including a measure of their risk perception. Results of bivariate analyses show that eight variables are significantly related to risk perception.

Driving under the influence of cannabis: links with dangerous driving, psychological predictors, and accident involvement.

Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) has become a growing concern. Studies investigating the impact of DUIC on traffic safety have shown evidence that, during the acute period of cannabis intoxication, cannabis diminishes driving faculties and is associated with an elevated risk of collision. However, DUIC drivers seem to exhibit a general reckless driving style that may contribute to an over-estimation of DUIC-related collisions among this group.

Therapeutic alliance, patient behaviour and dropout in a drug rehabilitation programme: the moderating effect of clinical subpopulations.

Aim: Treatment dropout is an important concern for professionals working in mental health. While this problem is common, the highest attrition rates have been observed in drug rehabilitation programmes. The present study focuses on the therapeutic alliance, a process variable that has been associated repeatedly with positive treatment outcome in the scientific literature.

Understanding treatment impact on drug-addicted offenders.

This study examines variables that could predict treatment perseverance and impact for offenders (N = 124) admitted to one of five rehabilitation centers for alcoholics/drug addicts representing different regions of the province of Quebec. Information was collected on time spent in treatment, alcohol/drug use-related problems, motivation to change, criminal profile, subject's perception of judicial pressure, subjective assessment of importance/probability of judicial consequences tied to treatment dropout or substance use, quality of the therapeutic relationship, assessment of client commitment to treatment, and social support. Results indicate that judicial pressure only have impact on retention into treatment for those who are not already sentenced but this "forced" retention is not linked with positive results.

Factors affecting motivation during the first six weeks of treatment.

Since the new conceptualization of motivation as a product of interpersonal exchanges, clinicians and researchers have shown a growing interest in understanding the process of and identifying factors increasing motivation for treatment. Elaborated from the self-determination theory, a motivational model was tested among 140 participants (recruited in a public outpatient readaptation center for substance-related disorders) who persevered in treatment for at least 6 weeks. The results support the usefulness of the self-determination theory in the field of motivation for treatment of substance-related disorders, and suggest some recommendations to enhance motivation: therapists must pay attention to the progression toward goal attainment and foster the perception of competence of their clients; treatment centers should offer a context that supports autonomy and that involves significant others.

Monotony of road environment and driver fatigue: a simulator study.

Studies have shown that drowsiness and hypovigilance frequently occur during highway driving and that they may have serious implications in terms of accident causation. This paper focuses on the task induced factors that are involved in the development of these phenomena. A driving simulator study was conducted in order to evaluate the impact of the monotony of roadside visual stimulation using a steering wheel movement (SWM) analysis procedure.

The impact of treatment on criminalized substance addicts.

The objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of a treatment program specialized with criminalized addicts. In all, 119 criminalized addicts were admitted to the experimental procedure (specialized treatment) while 30 were admitted to a comparison group (general treatment). Both groups were contacted at five, eight, and eleven month intervals following the onset of the treatment process.