National Drug Driving Study

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National Report National Update, February 2023
Alberta Report AB Update, February 2023
British Columbia Report BC Update, February 2023
Saskatchewan Report SK Update, February 2023
Ontario Report ON Update, March 2023
Quebec Report QC Update, March 2023
Atlantic Report Atlantic Update, 2023

 

Infographic

Impaired driving is a major public health problem. Alcohol-impaired driving is involved in a third of fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in Canada, and has been well studied. Other drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and sedating medications also cause impairment and contribute to MVCs. The National Drug Driving Study led by Dr. Brubacher examines the demographic and regional variation in drug use among injured drivers treated in emergency department after a motor vehicle crash. Our overarching goal is to provide relevant data that national and regional policy makers and injury prevention groups will use to inform and evaluate policy and programs designed to prevent people from driving after using drugs.

Map showing our study sites across Canada, click to expand.

 

 

The following are the objectives of the study:

  1. Collect reliable data on the epidemiology of drug-impaired driving resulting in motor vehicle crashes in Canada.
  2. Provide comparative data that can be used to evaluate policy and enforcement.
  3. Engage provincial and national road safety policy makers as well as injury prevention organizations to identify the information and indicators they require to develop policy/public education programs designed to prevent drug-impaired driving. 
  4. Use the data collected in this project (from objective 1), to provide road safety policy makers and injury prevention groups with the information they require (identified through objective 2 & 3) to develop policy/education programs designed to prevent drug-impaired driving.

This study leverages existing procedures and infrastructure from the Cannabis and Motor Vehicle Crashes (CMVC) study in BC and applies them to 11 additional Canadian trauma centres outside of BC. Read more about our methods of data collection here. This research will provide the first national data set with reliable, objective data on drug use in drivers collected using standardized methods


Funded By:

   

                                                                            

 


Stakeholders: