Alcohol and drug consumption among motor vehicle drivers in the Brittany region of France: A 9-year cross-sectional population study

Brendan Le Daré (1, 2) , Adeline Degremont (3, 2) , Clémence Couty (2) , Alain Baert (2) , Renaud Bouvet (4, 2) , Isabelle Morel (1, 2) , Thomas Gicquel (1, 2)

1 NuMeCan - Nutrition, Métabolismes et Cancer
2 Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes [CHU Rennes] = Rennes University Hospital [Ponchaillou]
3 REPERES - Recherche en Pharmaco-épidémiologie et Recours aux Soins
4 IDPSP - Institut du droit public et de la science politique

The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of positive tests for alcohol and drugs during roadside testing or after road accidents among drivers in the Brittany region of France. The study’s secondary objective was to describe the blood concentrations of the substances found during these tests, in order to provide a scientific basis for the establishment or modification of legislative threshold values for road injuries prevention. We performed a cross-sectional study of a database compiled by Rennes University Hospital’s toxicology laboratory in the Brittany region of France between 2010 and 2018. Driver’s age, sex, and test status (positive or negative), and blood levels of ethanol, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), methylene dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamine, benzoylecgonine and 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) were collected. Twelve thousand four hundred and ninety-seven drivers (males: 86.1%; median (range) age: 29 (15-94)) have provided roadside blood samples, giving a total of 25,998 test results. Among the 10,996 drivers with at least one positive test, the median blood concentrations of ethanol, THC, MDMA, amphetamine, benzoylecgonine, and 6-MAM were respectively 1.82 g/L, 2.41 ng/mL, 138.4 ng/mL, 67.7 ng/mL, 173.3 ng/mL, and 0.97 ng/mL. 1159 (10.54%) of the 10,996 drivers tested positive for two or more substances, and 151 (1.4%) tested positive for three or more substances. With the exception of heroin, the currently recommended threshold values appear to be appropriate for road injuries prevention with regard to the concentrations observed in offenders.

Mots clés: Cross sectional study; Descriptive epidemiology; Motor vehicle; Policy; Prevention; Public health

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Santé publique et épidémiologie

Brendan Le Daré, Adeline Degremont, Clémence Couty, Alain Baert, Renaud Bouvet, et al.. Alcohol and drug consumption among motor vehicle drivers in the Brittany region of France: A 9-year cross-sectional population study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2021, 23, pp.101454. ⟨10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101454⟩. ⟨hal-03282868⟩