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Survey spots drug danger

11th January 1996
Page 8
Page 8, 11th January 1996 — Survey spots drug danger
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• Driving while under the influence of drugs is as dangerous as being drunk at the wheel and causes at least 4,500 deaths across the European Union each year, says a new report.

Drugs other than alcohol and driving in the ELI warns that drug abuse is responsible for 135,000 serious accidents in the EU every year, and those driving after taking drugs double their chances of being involved in an accident.

Statistics also show 17% of motorists in the UK who are involved in accidents are found to have traces of drugs in their bloodstreams.

The RAC says the problem of drug abuse and driving is not given the same coverage and drink driving and it wants that imbalance to be corrected.

Drivers should also be aware of the problems posed by some medicines which impair driving ability and modern anaesthetics that wear off quickly but stay in the blood stream for long periods.

Drivers Action Movement's spokesman Jack Crossfield says even drivers working for law abiding hauliers could be working 15 hour days and might use pep pills available at any chemist. But he doesn't believe that hard drugs are being used by drivers on a grand scale. More dangerous are ill drivers who carry on working and taking sleep inducing medicines because they can't afford to take sick pay," he says.


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