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Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets: 2024 NHTSA published the first edition of the Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets in 2004. These updated fact sheets include scientific knowledge about the most frequently used drugs found in drug- and alcohol- impaired driving cases. An expert panel of forensic toxicologists, DREs, and traffic safety resource prosecutors provided input to the present version of the fact sheets. The information is targeted at drug recognition experts and other law enforcement officers, attorneys, judges, and toxicologists. The fact sheets will also benefit those in research, public health, advocacy, and driver education fields.	DOT HS 813 650
Evaluation of North Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program - Report This report briefly summarizes the findings of the North Dakota 24/7 sobriety program that monitors people arrested for or convicted of criminal offenses in which alcohol or other drugs were factors, including driving under the influence. Results found statistically significant reductions in arrests of repeat DUI offenders, especially after North Dakota enacted a law in 2013 that requires program participation for repeat offenders. The study adds to the evidence that the 24/7 sobriety program is an effective strategy for reducing repeat DUI offenses	DOT HS 813 494
Alcohol and Drug Prevalence Among Seriously and Fatally Injured Road Users Interest in how drugs other than alcohol affect roadway safety has increased. Studies conducted by NHTSA and others gave insights, but a knowledge gap exists on drug prevalence among drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists seriously or fatally injured in crashes. This study sought to fill this gap by examining drug prevalence among a large sample (N = 7,279) of seriously injured roadway users at seven trauma centers and fatally injured crash victims at four medical examiners. Overall, 55.8% of the injured or killed tested positive for one or more drugs including alcohol, and, overall, 19.9% tested positive for two or more categories of drugs. The results are a first look at drug prevalence among a large sample of seriously or fatally injured roadway users.	DOT HS 813 399
A How-to Guide for Conducting a Statewide Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Other Drugs This guide details the steps for a State to conduct its own statewide roadside survey of the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among drivers, important components of addressing impaired driving. NHTSA has conducted several voluntary and anonymous National Roadside Surveys. NHTSA and also worked with the State of Washington State to conduct a statewide survey before and after legalization of the recreational use of cannabis in that State. If a State is interested in conducting its own statewide roadside survey, this guide draws on these past experiences to provide start-to-finish guidance on how to develop and implement a statewide survey of alcohol and other drug prevalence among drivers. The guide includes information on how to develop a study plan, budget, and conduct specimen collection, research questions that can be addressed, personnel and equipment needed, and issues that may arise.	DOT HS 813 198
Continuation of Research on Traffic Safety During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: January - June 2021, Research Note After the declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency in March 2020, American driving patterns and behaviors changed significantly. Of drivers who remained on the roads, some engaged in riskier behavior -- speeding, failure to wear seat belts, driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Data showed average speeds increased 20 miles per hour or more, higher than the posted speed limit, and an estimated 11 percent increase in speeding-related fatalities. Other data suggested fewer people in crashes used their seat belts. Earlier research reports showed changes in the prevalence of alcohol and other drugs during the pandemic among seriously or fatally injured road users at different phases of the pandemic.	DOT HS 813 210
Update to Special Reports on Traffic Safety During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Fourth Quarter Data, Research Note, Traffic Safety Facts NHTSA is reviewing nationwide changes in traffic safety and observed behaviors caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. This research note includes data through the end of the 2020 calendar year, updating earlier preliminary reports. The research note includes changes in travel patterns, rates of crash severity, and the prevalence of drugs and alcohol among seriously and fatally injured road users at select trauma centers.	DOT HS 813 135
Evaluation of On-Site Oral Fluid Drug Screening Technology Oral fluid (saliva) has become popular for drug detection in criminal justice, workplace, and impaired-driving populations. The advantages compared to blood and urine include a noninvasive procedure with minimal potential for adulteration. They can be collected at the time of driving and/or arrest, allowing for better correlation between signs and symptoms of impairment compared to drugs detected in a biological sample collected later. Several point-of-contact oral fluid collection devices have been developed and marketed for use in the field without any controlled assessment to evaluate their applicability and quality. This report evaluates the latest generation to assess their accuracy, reliability and performance. Five devices, the Dräger DrugTest® 5000 (DDT5000), Dräger DrugCheck 3000 (DDC3000), Securetec DrugWipe S 5-Panel (DrugWipe), the Alere DDS 2 Mobile System (DDS2), and the AquilaScan Oral Fluids Testing Detection System were chosen. Testing and cutoff concentrations were based on two important previous studies, the Roadside Testing Assessment, which recommended greater than greater than 90% sensitivity and specificity and greater than 95 percent% accuracy, and Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines method, which recommended greater than 80% percent sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.	DOT HS 812 811
Drug and Alcohol Prevalence in Seriously and Fatally Injured Road Users Before and During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency A gap in knowledge exists regarding drug use among drivers and other road users seriously or fatally injured in crashes in the United States. This study examines the prevalence of alcohol and over-the-counter, prescription, and illegal drugs in the blood of seriously or fatally injured crash victims near the time of their crashes before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Data from 3,003 participants was collected at Level 1 trauma centers and medical examiner offices. The trauma centers and medical examiners made available blood for toxicological analyses from that collected during normal clinical procedures. The results indicate drug prevalence was high among seriously and fatally injured roadway users before the emergency began and was even higher during, especially for alcohol, cannabinoids (active THC), and opioids. Drivers showed significantly higher overall drug prevalence, with 64.7 percent testing positive for at least one active drug, compared to 50.8 percent before. Drivers also showed an increase in testing positive for two or more categories of drugs going from 17.6 percent before to 25.3 percent during the public health emergency. Of particular note, active THC was more prevalent among drivers during the public health emergency than alcohol (32.7% versus 28.3%), and opioid use among drivers almost doubled from 7.5 percent to 13.9 percent. The results suggest the highway safety community should be concerned about the impact of other drugs as well as alcohol. In particular, the observed cannabis and opioid prevalence rates before and during the public health emergency could be indicative of a growing problem.	DOT HS 813 018
Marijuana-Impaired Driving – A Report to Congress The report is to educate the public that drugs other than alcohol, including marijuana, are absorbed, distributed and eliminated from the body differently than alcohol. While BAC correlates closely with impairment, there is no such measure (e.g., THC) for marijuana that correlates with impairment. Thus, a BAC-equivalent impairment measure is not possible.	DOT HS 812 440
Drug and Alcohol Crash Risk: A Case-Control Study This study used a “case-control” design to estimate the risk of crashes involving drivers using drugs, alcohol or both obtaining 10,221 breath samples, 9,285 oral fluid samples, and 1,764 blood samples from more than 3,000 crash drivers and 6,000 control drivers. Crash risk estimates for alcohol indicated drivers with BrACs of .08 g/210L is 3.98 times that of drivers with no alcohol.	DOT HS 812 355