Prävalenz von neuen psychoaktiven Stoffen im Kontext von Fahreignungsbegutachtungen – Auswirkungen auf die Verkehrssicherheit?

New psychoactive substances (NPS) often remain undetected in cases of impaired driving or in assessment of a drug-related ability to drive, not least because the authorities do not request a corresponding analysis. Official requests for forensic toxicological analyses are typically limited to a panel covering the most commonly encountered substances or substance classes. In cases with traffic-relevant impairments or in abstinence monitoring programs the samples are usually not examined for NPS, especially not if other substances have already been detected. Therefore, individuals having to provide evidence of abstinence due to driving licence regranting might switch to NPS in order to avoid positive drug testing.

The results of a previously published study [7, 21], which retrospectively analyzed 1037 urine and hair samples for synthetic cannabinoids and designer drugs in driving licence regranting programs, were considered for the outcome of the initial regranting programs.

New psychoactive substances were detected in 4.2% of the samples. In 2 cases the driving licence had initially been regranted, whereas 32 subjects had successfully completed their abstinence monitoring program.

The results suggest that a measurable part of motor vehicle drivers get their driving licence back despite continued drug use, which might be associated with negative effects on road safety.