Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Testing reckless drivers for cocaine and marijuana

D Brookoff1, C S Cook, C Williams

  • 1Department of Medical Education, Methodist Hospital, Memphis, TN 38104.

The New England Journal of Medicine
|August 25, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Ulceration and Perforation of the Stomach.

Western journal of medicine and surgery·2024
Same author

Photosynthetic characteristics of Sonoran Desert winter annuals.

Oecologia·2014
Same author

A truncated retrotransposon disrupts the GRM1 coding sequence in Coton de Tulear dogs with Bandera's neonatal ataxia.

Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2011
Same author

Remote measurement of smoke plume transmittance using lidar.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

Prediction of in vivo drug interactions with eplerenone in man from in vitro metabolic inhibition data.

Xenobiotica; the fate of foreign compounds in biological systems·2004
Same author

Single- and repeated-dose pharmacokinetics of eplerenone, a selective aldosterone receptor blocker, in rats.

Xenobiotica; the fate of foreign compounds in biological systems·2003
Same journal

Ebola at 50 - Lessons for Outbreak Response and Preparedness.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same journal

Ianalumab plus Eltrombopag in Immune Thrombocytopenia. Reply.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same journal

Ianalumab plus Eltrombopag in Immune Thrombocytopenia.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same journal

Hypertension Control in Low-Income Patients. Reply.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same journal

Hypertension Control in Low-Income Patients.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same journal

Hypertension Control in Low-Income Patients.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
See all related articles

Over half of reckless drivers tested positive for cocaine or marijuana, highlighting the prevalence of drug impairment in traffic incidents. Rapid urine testing at the scene proved effective in identifying these drivers.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Traffic Safety Research
  • Drug Abuse Studies

Background:

  • Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) other than alcohol is a significant factor in traffic injuries.
  • Rapid urine testing can identify drivers impaired by cocaine or marijuana.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify reckless drivers under the influence of cocaine or marijuana using rapid urine testing.
  • To compare drug test results with on-scene clinical intoxication evaluations.

Main Methods:

  • A consecutive-sample study was conducted in Memphis, Tennessee, during the summer of 1993.
  • Drivers arrested for reckless driving and not apparently alcohol-impaired were tested for cocaine and marijuana at the scene.
  • Urine drug test results were compared with police officer clinical intoxication assessments.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 150 drivers submitted urine samples; 59% tested positive for cocaine or marijuana (20% cocaine, 33% marijuana, 12% both).
  • Of 94 drivers clinically deemed intoxicated, 85% tested positive for cocaine or marijuana.
  • Nearly half of cocaine-intoxicated drivers performed normally on standard sobriety tests.

Conclusions:

  • More than half of reckless drivers not intoxicated with alcohol were found to be under the influence of other drugs.
  • On-scene toxicologic testing is a practical method for identifying drug-impaired drivers.
  • Drug testing complements standard behavioral sobriety testing for detecting DUID.