ADOLESCENTS : TRANSPORTATION: AUTOMOBILE AND MOTOR VEHICLE: DRIVING : DRUG ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Drug-Impaired Driving by Youth Remains Serious Problem
David P. Dillard
ADOLESCENTS :
TRANSPORTATION: AUTOMOBILE AND MOTOR VEHICLE: DRIVING :
DRUG ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
Drug-Impaired Driving by Youth Remains Serious Problem
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:26:30 -0400
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <ol...@OD.NIH.GOV>
To: NIHP...@LIST.NIH.GOV
Subject: Drug-Impaired Driving by Youth Remains Serious Problem
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
<http://www.nida.nih.gov/>
For Immediate Release: Monday, October 29, 2007
CONTACT:
Peggy Dorie Hightower or Sara Rosario Wilson
email:
Contacto en Español:
DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING BY YOUTH REMAINS SERIOUS PROBLEM
Nearly a third of high school seniors say they have driven while "under
the influence" or been in the car with an impaired driver.
Large numbers of American adolescents are putting themselves and others at
great risk by driving while under the influence of illicit drugs or
alcohol, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2006, 30
percent of high school seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or
using drugs, or riding in a car whose driver had been drinking heavily or
using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks. These findings are
based on data obtained from the Monitoring the Future study, in which
nationally representative samples of high school seniors have been
surveyed annually since 1975. The data analysis is published in the
November issue of the "Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs".
"These findings are another wake-up call that we cannot afford to be
complacent about this great public health risk," said Elias A. Zerhouni,
NIH director. "This study shows that not only are too many teens putting
themselves and others at risk by driving under the influence of drugs, but
that there has been little improvement in the past six years."
Although there was some progress between 2001 and 2003, with rates
declining from 35 to 31 percent, between 2004 to 2006 rates leveled off at
just under 30 percent.
Dr. Patrick O'Malley, the lead author of the study, observes that,
"Driving under the influence is not an alcohol-only problem. In 2006, 13
percent of seniors said they drove after using marijuana while ten percent
said they drove after having five or more drinks."
"Most teens are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, yet many
ignore it. And many don't seem to recognize the dangers of driving after
using illicit drugs, including marijuana." said Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA
director. "Educational efforts need to be targeted to include the dangers
of both drinking and drugged driving."
To inform prevention efforts, the researchers also sought to examine what
demographic and lifestyle characteristics were associated with these
behaviors. For example, males were more likely than females to drive after
heavy drinking or marijuana use. And although there was little correlation
between impaired driving and socioeconomic status or geographic region,
individual lifestyle factors such as high religiosity, good grades, low
truancy, or having two parents living at home were all associated with a
lower likelihood of engaging in risky driving behaviors. For example, only
20 percent of those students with an A or A- GPA exposed themselves to
these situations as opposed to almost 39 percent with a GPA of B- or
below.
"Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to
20," added Dr. Volkow. "Combining the lack of driving experience among
teens with the use of marijuana and/or other substances that impair
cognitive and motor abilities can be a deadly combination."
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA
supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse
and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to
inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of
drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can
be found on the NIDA home page at
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.
S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit
###
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/oct2007/nida-29.htm>.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jw...@temple.edu
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