Medications and risk of motor vehicle collision responsibility in British Columbia, Canada: a population-based case-control study
Study [n=382 685 drivers responsible for collision (cases) and 332 259 drivers not responsible (controls)] found increased risk of collision responsibility in drivers prescribed sedating antipsychotics, long and short-acting benzodiazepines and high-potency opioids.
Source:
The Lancet Public Health
SPS commentary:
A commentary notes that although the researcher’s approach is comprehensive, it does not allow for detailed investigation of prescribed dose, and thus it is not possible to interpret the magnitude of risk; moreover, this design does not capture non-medical or concomitant substance use. It alludes to the onus of responsibility being placed on health-care providers to counsel patients to refrain from driving while impaired, though the burden of collisions due to medication use cannot simply be addressed by single interventions such as requesting medical doctors to further explain the significance of their potentially deleterious effects on driving. This issue is multifaceted and needs to be equally prioritised by policy makers, law enforcement, vehicle manufacturers, and the drivers themselves.