EU Investigates Drug and Alcohol Driving Abuse
Researchers from 18 EU countries and Norway will interview and test thousands of drivers to assess how different alcoholic drinks and narcotic drugs impair motoring performance. The project is the latest in a string of initiatives to provide interested parties, including fleet managers, with more sophisticated information to help them manage the problem of driving while under the influence of alcohol, prescription medicine and illegal drugs.
The EU-funded DRUID (Driving under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicine) project will check samples from volunteers for 33 psychoactive substances, including alcohol, medicine and illegal drugs and inquire into their driving performance. The University of Ghent in Belgium, which is coordinating the project, aims to check 4,000 drivers alone, some following crashes and others in general spot checks, although all the subjects will be volunteers.