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Alcohol, kava & benzo tranquilisers

Road Victim Rights

Land Transport Act - seeking safer DUI laws

Booze + Pot

This combo is the fast track to buying a plot. The immortal study of several thousand crash victims found crash risk skyrocketed to 179x normal - versus 10-16x at NZ's alcohol limit. 
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Alcohol, other depressants (includes benzos & pot) and fatigue  

Alcohol plus benzos gives 5-10x the crash risk of either drug alone.

Fatigue + depressant drugs is a killer. Approximately 14% of drink drive deaths involve fatigue (ACC).

Break the trip, power-nap if; 

You realise you are driving impaired as;
- tired body or mind
- making mistakes
- forgot part of trip
Dope + drink 
New Zealand is fairly liberal about cannabis and use though illegal is common place.

Candor surveys have connected hashish use to higher crash rates. Regular users here are found to have bad driving (Blows).

Involvement of sole cannabis use in fatalities has increased versus the mix with alcohol or declining sole alcohol misadventure (now 14% of driver deaths).

Cannabis is especially risky mixed with low alcohol consumption in NZ (dead driver blood tests - Vergara).

Dr Swann (Vicroads) reports that Australian mortality statistics show 
5 puffs on a typical joint plus only 2 drinks (0.04 BAC) gives a driver about 45x the odds of a sobre driver of ending up as a road toll statistic.

A lower limit
Candor isn't convinced  non criminal sanctions for low risk social drinkers will reduce victimisation any more than "administrative" fines for speeding did

Far greater inroads to impaired crash rates will on evidence come from 

1) better processing of the type of drink drive offenders currently targeted

- compulsory  treatment
- alcolocks
- zero or 0.05 limits for recidivists

2) greater effort applied to deterring and detecting  drug drivers 

 

 

 Alcohol, Kava and Benzodiazepine = tranquilisers 

Alcohol, Kava & Benzodiazepines are similar common depressant drugs (intoxication dulls, relaxes and disinhibits) - cannabis depresses too; unless use is both light & recent in which case it mildly stimulates.

  1. Impairment studies traditionally related to the brain depressant alcohol. Alcohol studies 1st identified the most "vulnerable aspects" of driving behaviour to chemical influences.

  2. The brain's control of eye movements is severely affected by alcohol & similar drugs. It only takes blood alcohol of .03 -.05% to impair the eyes' ability to rapidly track moving targets.

  3. Steering an automobile is adversely affected by alcohol, as it affects eye-to-hand reaction times, on top of eyes becoming less able to follow developments. Significant impairment and deterioration of steering ability begin at approximately .03 to .04% Blood Alcohol  

  4.  Alcohol-impaired drivers need more time to read street signs or respond to traffic signals than unimpaired drivers. Narrowing of the attention field of drivers begins at .04% blood alcohol concentration and crash risk is nearly doubled. At 0.1 it is over 7x, at 0.15 - 25x.

 Dividing Attention Among Component Skills; most sensitive aspect of driving performance

 -Component skills involve maintaining the vehicle in the proper lane and direction (tracking task), while monitoring the environment for vital safety information, eg. vehicles, signs etc
- Alcohol-impaired drivers made to divide their attention between two tasks tend to favor just one task. Often they favor steering while becoming slack with respect to road scanning.
- Numerous studies indicate that divided attention deficits  (not focusing on then integrating all ones surroundings in awareness) occur as low as .02% BAC

2 the first hour and one each hour after ='s a rough guide
to staying below the 0.08 adult limit. But other danger zones exist...

For under 20's in NZ the blood alcohol limit is 0.03gms/litre 

A 12-ounce beer, 4-ounce glass of wine,1-ounce serving of 80- proof liquor - will increase the average person's BAC by 0.02. If you have more than one drink in an hour, your BAC starts to rise, and only time will rid you of the effects of alcohol - though maybe NOT the increased road risk post "party".

In NZ most "drink drivers" die long after alcohol has dropped way low in the blood, far greater numbers of Kiwis die driving with VERY low blood alcohol (below proposed new limit of 0.05) and ? fatigue +/- cannabis aboard (presumably in the hangover time) than when they were technically drunk!!!!!!!!!!

This is why appointing a clean sobre driver is better than waiting out the required drop in blood alcohol from excess levels, or a broken sleep away from home while fatigue is mounting it's own attack! 

That pick me up joint "the morning after" once alcohol levels have plummeted is also a really bad idea, and often the final straw.

BENZODIAZEPINES  

Benzodiazepine tranquiliser abusers are similarly affected to drunks and if tolerant may just appear fine (no stumbling or slurring words - but unsafe still).

This drug class includes valium, halcion, rivotril, nitrazepam, rohypnol and several other related drugs prescribed for short term anxiety / sleep and also popularly abused  

High blood concentrations (drug abuse levels) or use of alcohol on top linked to high serious crash involvement. Minimal risk for correct use of only up to double normal crash risk (insignificant given rarity of crashes) rises to 13.4 x normal risk if any alcohol 

 Drowsiness, being distractable, long closure blinks and inco-ordination can all lead to reduced vigilance and slowed reactions

 Visual effects, and unable to read signs leads to weaving and lost drivers making coarse steering reversals

Confusion and "black outs" (no later memory of trip sector as the driver is  not really conscious) cause poor journey planning 

Combining tranquilizers with opiates, GHB, anti-epileptics, some antihistamines or older antidepressants can have additive effects (users liver works slower upping blood levels) which if this practice has not been quite fatal (through reduced breathing) will dramatically reduces alertness and judgment of time, space and distance. 

 

 The influence of alcohol, age and the number of passengers on the night-time risk of driver injury in New Zealand. Keall, M.D., Frith, W.J, & Patterson, T.L. (2004).

Candor Trust does not accept the findings of this study promoted by the M.O.T., which reports that New Zealander's at various ages have at least 4x the relative risks of serious crashes at various blood alcohol levels, than would other Nationals. 

The study is not consistent with global findings as per our literature review; it appears to be funded by Governmental sources and is being transparently used by them to push for a lower blood alcohol limit (by exaggerating serious facts).

 

Cannabis use (which is proven to greatly increase risks in combination) is so endemic in the small NZ driving population that it would be extremely difficult to conduct an unbiased drink driving study in NZ. 

 

We would refer people seeking BAC crash risk scales to those constructed from FAR's data in the U.S.A. due to it's size & smaller cannabis culture. NZ Drink driving statistics we believe are likely to derive from a tainted sample.

 

  Relative Risk of Fatal Crash for Drivers age 21 and Over (Zador 2000)

 

Blood alcohol 16-24 yrs old male 16-24 yrs old female 21-34 year olds 
0.02-0.04    3.4  1.9   2  
0.08-0.09   24  5 6
0.1-0.14  82 11 12
0.15 - 0.4 (fatal) 200 18 12

Relative risk at various blood levels of a fatal crash by age (FARS data)

Source - Contribution of Alcohol-Impaired Driving to Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths in 2005, USA. Lund, A, McCartt A et al (IIHS).

The above table based on large data input numbers clearly brings Frith, Keall and Patterson's study findings in to question as they claim NZ teen drivers have 15 x normal risk at the 0.02-0.04 BAC (far from 2-3x - Lund et al), and that 20-29 year olds have 8x normal risk at that level (versus 2x - Lund et al).

They also claim 86x "normal" risk at 0.08 for teens (versus 5-24 depending on sex), and 50 x normal risk at this level for 20-29 year olds (versus 5 x normal risk found in major American studies).  

We conclude that the NZ study published on Ministry of Transport's website is grossly corrupted by a failure to factor in the high rate of cannabis use, which research such as that by Dr Swann shows would easily account for the disparities and the mysteriously quadrupled drink driving risk ratios experienced by NZ vs U.S. drinkers.

Behavioural tolerance    

 

The brain develops compensation techniques to adjust for effects of depressants. Although no tolerance develops to driving deficits, the brain's compensation ability allows long term users to become intoxicated on large doses of depressants but show little or no outward symptoms such as swaying or slurred speech

 

 

                                                         

     Aims of Candor  Trust

  • Inform; drug & alcohol driving dangers

  • Assist DUI victims 

  • Support measures likely to reduce DUI impacts 

  • Memorial Wall Project

Say no to a driver

Who smoked cannabis in the last 3 hours

Who may have injected anything that day

Who had more than 2 drinks the first hour then 1 each one after

With red eyes, highly coloured eyes (?heroin) or big pupils (? P or E)

Whose speech is slurred (booze), delayed (benzo's) or just strange

Whose driving worries you, or it really should (if only you were sobre).

Who is hungover from drugs or alcohol and has had minimal sleep.

*555 calls ? save lives

NZ BADD (Bikers Against Drunk Driving) has a charter to promote calls to star 555.

A Candor member (18) was near killed and two were seriously injured by a Canterbury drug driver after several UNANSWERED 111 calls by a following motorist.

We believe BADD has made an  important call, one that should be supported by far more "loose" patrols targeting visible violations.

Please have a pen handy to record the number plate of potential killers - and follow up the service level in response to your call.

Let us know how it goes!
Benzo Safety  - patients

If starting on these medicines avoid driving for 2 weeks if not adjusted. And thereafter for 5-10 hours after a dose if feeling dopey. 

Some people may be affected similarly to being at the alcohol limit while on this sort of medicine, but most adjust and will be safe to drive. 

Serious crash risk is only proven to greatly increase if alcohol or other intoxicants are combined with benzos used as per prescription. It may pay to avoid early and night driving, stick to familiar routes, prefer short journeys in low speed zones. 

Take advantage of home deliveries and use other transport or ask people to drive you if you’ve reason to believe you're impaired. 

If taking a benzodiazepam drug eg Clonazepam (Rivotril), Triazolam (Halcion), Nitrazepam (Mogodon) etc for anxiety or sleep problems, skipping your dose/s with a worsening of the treated condition could also impair driving. 

Take special care to monitor your own driving fitness after restarting or increasing benzos. 
Travel after socials

  •      Plan to use public transport or a taxi. 

  •      Get a lift with someone who has not been drinking or using drugs.

  •      Let people know where you are by taking your mobile or a phone card.

  •       Stay at a friend’s house - safety over convenience 

  •       Tell a friend or let someone know if you’ve taken drugs and don’t feel right to drive.

  •       Sleep it off before you even think about driving.

  •  And remember - don't drive when you're  "coming down"

 

 

 

 

29/12/2007