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Benzodiazepine use and driving: a meta-analysis.
Mark J Rapoport1, Krista L Lanctôt, David L Streiner
1Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. mark.rapoport@sunnybrook.ca
Benzodiazepine use significantly increases the risk of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). This is likely due to impaired driving, specifically difficulty maintaining road position.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Traffic Safety
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed medications.
- Driving impairment is a significant public health concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize evidence on the link between benzodiazepine use and driving impairment.
- To evaluate the risk of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) associated with benzodiazepine use.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of multiple databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane).
- Inclusion of experimental and epidemiologic studies (case-control, cohort) from 1966-2007.
- Meta-analysis of pooled data using random-effects models.
Main Results:
- Meta-analysis included 11 epidemiologic and 16 experimental studies.
- Benzodiazepine use was associated with a significantly increased risk of MVCs in case-control (OR=1.61) and cohort studies (OR=1.60).
- On-road driving tests showed increased lateral position deviation (SMD=0.80), but simulator studies lacked consistent findings.
Conclusions:
- Benzodiazepine users face a significantly elevated risk of MVCs compared to nonusers.
- Impaired ability to maintain road position may explain the increased collision risk.
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