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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Introduction
The prevalence of driving under the influence of drugs has been causing increasing concern among those involved in the promotion of road safety and has been the focus of much recent research. In 1999, the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Road Safety Campaign (the SRSC changed its name to Road Safety Scotland in October 2005 and the new title will be used throughout the remainder of this report) commissioned the first Scottish study to examine the prevalence of, and attitudes towards, recreational drug use and driving among drivers aged 17-39 years. Following the publication of this research, the RSS launched an advertising campaign aimed at reducing this figure, although this was subsequently found to have had limited impact. 1
In 2005, Road Safety Scotland and Scottish Executive commissioned a team comprising MORI Scotland, the Centre for Drugs Misuse Research at Glasgow University and Professor Steve Stradling of Napier University's Transport Research Institute to update and extend the 2000 study. In particular, this research aims to inform a more targeted campaign to reduce the prevalence of drug driving.
Background
There is a wealth of research outlining the prevalence of drug driving. Estimates depend on the methods of measurement used but most European studies report that around 4% of drivers aged 17 to 39 years have driven under the influence of drugs in the previous 12 months. 2 In line with this, the 2000 drugs and driving study reported that 9% of 17-39 year old drivers had ever driven under the influence of drugs and 5% had done so in the previous 12 months. 3
The objective of the present study is to provide an up-to-date estimate of the prevalence of drug driving in Scotland which can be compared with the findings of the 2000 survey. A number of changes over the last five years might lead to an expectation that drug driving would be more prevalent in 2005 than in 2000. For example:
- there has been a general increase in drug use recorded between 1996 and 2003 in the Scottish Crime Survey 4
- there is increasing car ownership and use among young adults
- the legal status of cannabis has changed and there is some evidence that cannabis use is more socially acceptable
- there have been increases in women's alcohol consumption and a narrowing of the gap between women and men in terms of other road traffic violations, 5 which may lead to the possibility that there will be some narrowing of the gap between women and men in terms of drug driving.
Research Aims and Objectives
The overarching aim of the research was to provide the Scottish Executive and Road Safety Scotland with a deeper understanding of the incidence of drug driving and the context in which it occurs. Key themes addressed in the research include:
- prevalence and trends of drug use in Scotland among drivers aged 17-39 years
- prevalence and trends of drug driving in Scotland among drivers aged 17-39 years
- key characteristics of drug drivers
- explanations of why people drive under the influence of drugs
- knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the law on drug driving
- the incidence of other risky driving behaviours and the links with drug driving
- the desistance from drug driving and views on past and possible future campaigns.
The following chapter of the report details the methodology adopted for the research. Subsequent chapters present the main findings and the final chapter presents a broad overview of the findings with particular emphasis on any implications/recommendations for campaigns.
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