First nationwide study on driving under the influence of drugs in Switzerland

Senna, Maria-Cristina; Augsburger, Marc; Aebi, Beat; Briellmann, Thomas A.; Donzé, Nicolas; Dubugnon, Jean-Luc; Iten, Peter X.; Staub, Christian; Sturm, Walter; Sutter, Karl

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.02.014

« Previous Next »Forensic Science International
Volume 198, Issue 1 , Pages 11-16, 20 May 2010

First nationwide study on driving under the influence of drugs in Switzerland

Maria-Cristina Senna
- University Center of Legal Medicine, Geneva and Lausanne, Unit of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Rue du Bugnon 21, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +41 21 314 64 48; fax: +41 21 314 73 29.
Marc Augsburger
- University Center of Legal Medicine, Geneva and Lausanne, Unit of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Rue du Bugnon 21, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
Beat Aebi
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Berne, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Division, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
- Present address: Spiez Laboratory, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland.
Thomas A. Briellmann
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Basel, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Division, Pestalozzistrasse 22, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
Nicolas Donzé
- Central Institute of Valais Hospital, Grand Champsec 86, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
Jean-Luc Dubugnon
- Institut de Chimie Clinique, Rue du Midi 15, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
Peter X. Iten
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Division, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Christian Staub
- University Center of Legal Medicine, Geneva and Lausanne, Unit of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
Walter Sturm
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, Department of Toxicology, Rorschacherstrasse 93, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Karl Sutter
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, Department of Toxicology, Rorschacherstrasse 93, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Deceased.

Received 21 August 2009; received in revised form 29 January 2010; accepted 9 February 2010. published online 08 March 2010.

Abstract

In Switzerland, a two-tier system based on impairment by any psychoactive substances which affect the capacity to drive safely and zero tolerance for certain illicit drugs came into force on 1 January 2005. According to the new legislation, the offender is sanctioned if Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol THC is ≥1.5ng/ml or amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA), cocaine, free morphine are ≥15ng/ml in whole blood (confidence interval±30%). For all other psychoactive substances, impairment must be proven in applying the so-called “three pillars expertise”. At the same time the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving was lowered from 0.80 to 0.50g/kg. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of drugs in the first year after the introduction of the revision of the Swiss Traffic Law in the population of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID). A database was developed to collect the data from all DUID cases submitted by the police or the Justice to the eight Swiss authorized laboratories between January and December 2005. Data collected were anonymous and included the age, gender, date and time of the event, the type of vehicle, the circumstances, the sampling time and the results of all the performed toxicological analyses. The focus was explicitly on DUID; cases of drivers who were suspected to be under the influence of ethanol only were not considered. The final study population included 4794 DUID offenders (4243 males, 543 females). The mean age of all drivers was 31±12 years (range 14–92 years). One or more psychoactive drugs were detected in 89% of all analyzed blood samples. In 11% (N=530) of the samples, neither alcohol nor drugs were present. The most frequently encountered drugs in whole blood were cannabinoids (48% of total number of cases), ethanol (35%), cocaine (25%), opiates (10%), amphetamines (7%), benzodiazepines (6%) and methadone (5%). Other medicinal drugs such as antidepressants and benzodiazepine-like were detected less frequently. Poly-drug use was prevalent but it may be underestimated because the laboratories do not always analyze all drugs in a blood sample. This first Swiss study points out that DUID is a serious problem on the roads in Switzerland. Further investigations will show if this situation has changed in the following years.