Prevalence and criminological aspects of alcohol and other drugs use among drivers subjected to detection tests in the urban environment during the coronavirus pandemic
Keywords:
Alcohol, Drugs, Road safety, COVID-19Abstract
Traffic accidents constitute a public health problem. The relationship between traffic accidents and the consumption of toxic substances is undeniable. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented health crisis which led to measures being adopted in limiting citizen mobility. A subsequent change in the consumption patterns of toxic substances was also observed. There was a decrease in the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use, and contrarily an increase in the consumption of non-prescription sedatives. The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of alcohol use and other psychoactive substances in a population of drivers subjected to alcohol and other drug testing in urban areas. This study evaluates the possible impact that mobility restriction measures adopted during the pandemic had on road safety. To achieve this, we carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study on vehicle drivers on urban roads and crossings in the city of Santander in the year 2020, where we conducted 3,680 alcohol tests and 275 other drug tests. Our results demonstrate that positive results for alcohol and/or other drugs were found in 20.82% of the cases. The profile of the driver positive for alcohol shows a male driver between the ages of 25 and 44, who drives during the weekend between 11 pm and 7 am and presents a breath alcohol level higher than 0.60 mg/l. The profile of the driver positive for other drugs is male, between 25 and 44 years old, who drives with a uniform distribution throughout the week, in the period between 7 pm and midnight. The main substances in this profile are cannabis (75.31%) and cocaine (44.03%). It is confirmed that during the months without confinement, 13.02% of the alcohol tests and 30.19% of other drug tests were positive, while during the confinement period the percentages rose to 23.44% and 38.57%, respectively.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Iván Marcos Ortiz, Josefa Muñoz Ruiz, Eduardo Osuna Carrillo de Albornoz
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