Study Finds Alcohol and Drug Abuse Common in Fatal Crashes

The journal Addiction released results of a study this week that says more than half of U.S. drivers killed in car crashes had alcohol or drugs in their system at the time of the crash, Reuters reports. 

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on road deaths in 14 states, researchers also found that men and people driving at night were the most likely to have alcohol, marijuana or other illicit or prescription drugs show up on a toxicology screen after the accident. 

"More than half of fatally injured drivers in the United States had been using alcohol or other drugs and approximately 20 percent had been using (two or more) drugs," wrote Joanne Brady of Columbia University and her colleagues. 

Alcohol was the most common drug, followed by marijuana and stimulants, including amphetamines. One in five had multiple drugs in their systems at the time of the fatal crashes, researchers found. 

Sixty percent of men killed while driving had drugs or alcohol in their system, compared to less than half of women. People who had an accident at night or on the weekend were also more likely to test positive than those driving on a weekday.