Toxicological findings in driver and motorcyclist fatalities in Scotland 2012-2015
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Accepted version
Author(s)
Hamnett, Hilary J
Ilett, Martha
Izzati, Fauzia
Smith, Shannah S
Watson, Kirsty H
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) continue to be a common occurrence worldwide. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the toxicological investigation of drivers and motorcyclists fatally injured in MVCs in Scotland from 2012 to 2015. One hundred and eighteen cases with full toxicological analysis, i.e., alcohol, drugs of abuse and prescription drugs, were examined. Of those 118 MVC cases, 74 (63%) were car drivers, 32 (27%) were motorcyclists and the remaining were drivers of other vehicles such as large goods vehicles. The majority of deceased drivers and motorcyclists were male (N = 104, 88%). For the toxicological findings, 51 (43%) of the cases were negative, and of the 67 (57%) positive cases, alcohol and cannabinoids were the most frequently detected substances, followed by opioids and benzodiazepines. Fifteen percent of all drivers and motorcyclists were over the prescribed blood alcohol limit at the time of analysis. In comparison to previous reports of drug use by drivers in Scotland, benzodiazepines and new psychoactive substances were less common findings in fatally injured drivers and motorcyclists than in drivers suspected of being impaired.
Date Issued
2017-01-03
Date Acceptance
2017-01-01
Citation
Forensic Science International, 2017, 274, pp.22-26
ISSN
0379-0738
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
22
End Page
26
Journal / Book Title
Forensic Science International
Volume
274
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000401098800005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Medicine, Legal
Legal Medicine
DUID
Fatality
Driver
Motorcyclist
Drug driving
Motor vehicle crash
Road traffic accident
FATALLY INJURED DRIVERS
ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES
MOTOR-VEHICLE CRASHES
DRUG-USE
ALCOHOL
PREVALENCE
BLOOD
CULPABILITY
INVOLVEMENT
POPULATION
Publication Status
Published