| dc.description.abstract | Although the increased risk associated with driving under the influence of alcohol or
benzodiazepines on their own has been recognized, several variables make their
combined effects difficult to study. As a result, the small body of research on the subject
is contradictory. The current study aimed to further explore the effects of the
combination of alcohol and benzodiazepines on driving. Data from the years 1993 -
2006 were taken from the American Fatality Analysis Reporting System and examined
using a case control design. All subjects were drivers, aged 20 years and older, had been
tested for alcohol and drugs, and, if positive for benzodiazepines, were only positive for a
single half-life class of benzodiazepine. Cases had at least one unsafe driver action (e.g.,
weaving) recorded in relation to the crash. Controls had no such record. Logistic
regression was performed to determine the odds ofperforming an unsafe driver action
(UDA) for drivers positive for benzodiazepines (stratified by short, intermediate and long
half-life) with BACs ranging from 0.00 to 0.10 mg/100 ml. When compared to an
alcohol- and benzodiazepine-free referent group, the alcohol plus benzodiazepine groups
showed significantly higher odds of committing an UDA at nearly every BAC / half-life
combination. When using the alcohol only and benzodiazepine only groups as referents,
additive, possibly synergistic effects were observed for long benzodiazepines in
combination with alcohol at BACs of 0.02 and 0.04 mg/100 ml. This study demonstrates
the detrimental effects that the combination of alcohol and benzodiazepines can have on
driving, and suggests that further research is necessary. | |
