Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving

Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving
Author: A. Wayne Jones
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 721
Release: 2020-06-15
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 100004856X

Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving addresses many theoretical and practical issues related to the role played by alcohol and other psychoactive drugs on driving performance, road-traffic safety, and public health. Several key forensic issues are involved in the enforcement of laws regulating driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, including analytical toxicology, pharmacology of drug action, as well as the relationships between dose taken, concentration levels in the body, and impairment of performance and behavior. Our knowledge of drunken driving is much more comprehensive than drugged driving, so a large part of this book is devoted to alcohol impairment, as well as impairment caused by use of drugs other than alcohol. For convenience, the book is divided into four main sections. The first section gives some historical background about measuring alcohol in blood and breath as evidence for the prosecution of traffic offenders. The important role of the Breathalyzer instrument in traffic-law enforcement, especially in Australia, Canada, and the USA is presented along with a biographical sketch of its inventor (Professor Robert F. Borkenstein of Indiana University) with focus on the man, his work and his impact. The second section discusses several issues related to forensic blood and breath-alcohol alcohol analysis as evidence for prosecution of traffic offenders. This includes how the results should be interpreted in relation to impairment and an evaluation of common defense challenges. Because most countries have adopted concentration per se laws, the main thrust of the prosecution case is the suspect’s measured blood- or breath-alcohol concentration. This legal framework necessitates that the analytical methods used are "fit for purpose" and are subjected to rigorous quality assurance procedures. The third section gives a broad overview of the current state of knowledge about driving under the influence of non-alcohol drugs in various countries. This includes adoption of zero-tolerance laws, concentration per se statutes, and clinical evidence of driver impairment based on field sobriety tests and drug recognition expert evidence. The fourth section deals with epidemiology, enforcement, and countermeasures aimed at reducing the threat of drunken and drugged driving. All articles have appeared previously in the international journal Forensic Science Review, but all are completely updated with current data, references, and the latest research on developments since the articles were published. This book contains a convenient collection of the best articles covering recommendations for blood and breath testing methods, public policy relating to such methods, and forensic and legal implications of the enforcement of measures to counter driving under the influence.

Drunk Driving Laws in Foreign Countries

Drunk Driving Laws in Foreign Countries
Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 154
Release: 1993-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9781568068374

Covers: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Includes: legislative background, current law, penalties, law enforcement, and effectiveness.

Digest of State Alcohol-Highway Safety Related Legislation

Digest of State Alcohol-Highway Safety Related Legislation
Author: Barry Leonard
Publisher:
Total Pages: 580
Release: 2004-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9780756739911

Reports the status of state laws that are concerned with drunk driving offenses & alcoholic beverage control. Unless otherwise indicated, the status of the laws reported is 1/1/02. Includes: High Interest Legislation, State Law Summary. The Summary is organized by State & then by specific legal topics. The Summary includes code &, where needed, case law citations; these should help individuals conducting additional research in this area of the law. It can be used to facilitate the comparison of State laws in the subject areas. Appendix A gives the Uniform Vehicle Code's provisions on implied consent, drunk driving, vehicle homicide & driving while license is either suspended or revoked. Appendix B gives the provisions of the Millennium DUI Prevention Act.