[Psychoactive drugs and accident risk in road traffic].

In the DRUID (Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol and medicines) study, the risk of injury and death was calculated for different psychoactive substances on the basis of samples collected from drivers in road traffic and in various accident situations. The number of persons having used alcohol or drugs with negative effects on the ability to drive was lower in Finland than in Europe on the average. Aggravated drunk drivers and mixed substance abusers pose an accident risk that can be several hundredfold higher compared with sober drivers.

Alcohol and drugs in seriously injured drivers in six European countries.

The objective of this study was to determine the presence of alcohol and drugs in drivers severely injured in traffic crashes in six European countries. Data were collected from 2492 seriously injured drivers of cars and vans in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, between 2007 and 2010. Toxicological analysis was performed with chromatographic techniques on whole blood for 23 substances.

Substance use and social, health and safety-related factors among fatally injured drivers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine different socio-demographic, health and safety-related factors, and psychoactive substance use among fatally injured drivers in road traffic accidents in Finland during 2006-2008.

Methods: An accident information register maintained by the Traffic Safety Committee of Insurance Companies (VALT) of the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre was used as basic data, and the basic data were complemented with further toxicological analytical information retrieved from autopsy reports from the Department of Forensic Medicine, Helsinki University. The data included all the drivers (n=556) who were driving a motor vehicle and who died in a road traffic accident in Finland during 2006-2008.

Cannabis findings in drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs in Finland from 2006 to 2008.

The authors examined driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases which were found to be positive in whole blood for cannabis in Finland from 2006 to 2008. Factors studied were the number of cases positive for any combination of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the metabolites 11-hydroxy-Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH) and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH). Concurrent use of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and/or alcohol was also recorded, as well as the drivers' age and gender.

Benzodiazepine whole blood concentrations in cases with positive oral fluid on-site screening test results using the DrugWipe(®) single for benzodiazepines.

Reliable on-site oral fluid screening devices are a useful and convenient means of policing traffic. In Finland, benzodiazepines represent a particular challenge to traffic safety. This study presents a retrospective examination of toxicological analysis results from whole blood in cases which gave a positive screening result for benzodiazepines in oral fluid using the DrugWipe Single device (Securetec).

An evaluation of on-site oral fluid drug screening devices DrugWipe 5+ and Rapid STAT using oral fluid for confirmation analysis.

In this study, the performance of two on-site oral fluid drug-testing devices, DrugWipe 5(+) (Securetec) and Rapid STAT (Mavand), was assessed. The results obtained by the devices were compared with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry confirmation analysis results in oral fluid. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the tests, as well as positive and negative predictive values, were calculated based on the classified results of the comparison.

Benzodiazepines and sedative-hypnotics in blood of drivers under the influence and their association with other common illegal drug use and national sales figures.

The authors examined benzodiazepine and sedative-hypnotic positive cases of drivers under the influence (DUI) in Finland from 1997 to 2008. Factors studied were the number of cases positive for the most commonly encountered of these pharmaceuticals, simultaneous use of amphetamine and/or cannabis, and the relationship between the number of DUI cases and overall sales in Finland for the individual pharmaceuticals. Data for 20037 cases positive for the relevant drugs were retrieved from the laboratory database of the Alcohol and Drug Analytics Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare.

An analytical evaluation of eight on-site oral fluid drug screening devices using laboratory confirmation results from oral fluid.

The performance of eight on-site oral fluid drug screening devices was studied in Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands as a part of the EU-project DRUID. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the reliability of the devices for testing drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID). The performance of the devices was assessed by their ability to detect substances using cut-offs which were set at sufficiently low levels to allow optimal detection of positive DUID cases.

Performance evaluation of the DrugWipe® 5/5+ on-site oral fluid screening device.

This study presents a retrospective performance evaluation of an on-site oral fluid drug screening device DrugWipe® 5/5+ (Securetec). The results obtained by the device were compared with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry confirmation analysis results in whole blood. Data used in the comparison were based on 1,807 real cases in which the Finnish police had conducted an on-site drug test on persons suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.