California Survey Finds Twice as Many Drivers Test Positive for Drugs Than Alcohol
California Roadside Survey Finds Twice as Many Weekend Nighttime Drivers Test Positive for Other Drugs as for Alcohol; Marijuana as Likely as Alcohol
Drugs that may affect driving were detected in one of every seven weekend nighttime drivers in California, according to data from the first statewide roadside survey of alcohol and drug use by drivers. Anonymous breath tests, oral fluid samples, and responses to questionnaires were collected from a random sample of weekend nighttime drivers in nine California jurisdictions. Twice as many drivers tested positive for other drugs (14.0%) as for alcohol (7.4%), and just as many drivers tested positive for marijuana as for alcohol (see figure below). Marijuana (either alone or in combination with other drugs) was the drug most likely to be detected, comprising 53% of all drug positives. The study also found that 23% of those testing positive for alcohol tested positive for at least one other drug, usually marijuana (data not shown). The authors caution that “these figures describe the prevalence rates for the presence of these drugs in drivers and do not address whether those drivers were impaired by these substances.”
