Drug use tied to fatal car crashes

CALVERTON, Md., June 24 (UPI) -- About 25 percent of U.S. drivers who died in vehicle crashes during an 11-year study period tested positive for drugs, researchers found.

Lead author Eduardo Romano and Robert B. Voas, both of Pacific Institute for Research, said it's not clear whether the drugs were to blame for the crashes -- some people who use illegal drugs may simply be reckless drivers.

"The suspicion is there, because when you look at drivers who've been in fatal crashes, the percentage using drugs is a good deal higher," Voas said in a statement.

The study, scheduled to published in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, found between 1998 and 2009, there were more than 44,000 fatally injured drivers with drug-test information and 25 percent tested positive for drugs -- marijuana and stimulant drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine the most common.

Stimulants were linked to all types of crash fatalities, while marijuana was tied only to speeding and seat belt non-use, the study said.

The study found that, in general, drugs seemed to be key only when drivers had not been drinking as well -- in other words, when someone drinks and does drugs, the alcohol is the main reason for impaired driving.

"Alcohol is still the largest contributor to fatal crashes," Romano said.