National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey shows 56 percent of earnestly oregon fatally injured roadway users tested affirmative for 1 much drug
By Pat Sargent
UMass Chan Medical School Communications
January 12, 2023
Of the earnestly oregon fatally injured roadway users included successful the study’s toxicology panel, astir 56 percent tested affirmative for 1 oregon much drugs, including intoxicant and cannabinoids.
Kavita Babu, MD, prof of exigency medicine astatine UMass Chan Medical School and main of aesculapian toxicology astatine UMass Memorial Medical Center, co-authored a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study astir survey of cause prevalence among drivers and different roadworthy users, based connected toxicological analyses of humor specimens from those who were earnestly oregon fatally injured successful centrifugal conveyance crashes.
Data for the survey was collected from much than 7,200 roadway users, including conveyance drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, astatine 7 trauma centers crossed the United States, including the Level One Trauma Center astatine UMass Memorial Medical Center, for 18 months opening successful precocious January 2020. Of the earnestly oregon fatally injured roadway users included successful the study’s toxicology panel, astir 56 percent tested affirmative for 1 oregon much drugs, the astir communal being cannabinoids (25.1 percent) and intoxicant (23.1 percent). According to earlier reports by the NHTSA, this is an summation implicit pre-pandemic numbers.
“This survey gave america an accidental to get a broader snapshot successful presumption of what radical who are earnestly injured had been exposed to,” said Dr. Babu. “It appears the prevalence of impaired driving went up since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic. And I deliberation initially, successful the aboriginal phases of the pandemic and archetypal periods of isolation, we truly saw this uptick and I’m not assured yet that we've seen that plateau oregon driblet back.”
Babu said conducting the survey during the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult. She credits Jeffrey Lai, MD, adjunct prof of exigency medicine and 1 of the study’s authors, to getting the probe disconnected the crushed astatine UMass Chan.
“Dr. Lai and his squad truly displayed a batch of agility for america to beryllium capable to enactment successful this survey during the pandemic and I deliberation it’s truly created immoderate long-lasting relationships with NHTSA and fueled our involvement successful this work,” said Babu.
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