[Repeated driving under influence]

Many drivers arrested for driving under the influence have earlier been arrested and convicted for a similar type of violation. The article reviews Norwegian studies on car drivers influenced by alcohol, other drugs than alcohol, and also drivers influenced by amphetamine. The results show that between 10 and 30% of drivers convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol, are rearrested two or more times for the same violation during a subsequent three year period. The recurrence rate is dependent on blood alcohol concentration at the selection time. The recurrence rate among drivers under the influence of drugs other than alcohol is significantly larger (up to 54%), when studied over the same three year period. The number of drivers influenced by amphetamine has increased dramatically during recent years. The recurrence rate among drivers influenced by amphetamine is on part with that of drivers using other drugs than alcohol. There are indications that an increasing number of drunken drivers have changed their abuse pattern during recent years from alcohol to illegal drugs such as amphetamine.

Study of rearrests for drunken driving in Norway

The National Institute of Forensic Toxicology (NIFT) in Oslo receives blood samples from all Norwegian drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. It is well known that a large proportion of the arrested drunken drivers are repeat offenders. The purposes of this investigation was to find the arrest rates (the percentage of subjects arrested once or more) among drunken drivers followed retrospectively and prospectively during the 11-year period 1984-1994 and the probability of 'abstaining' from becoming a recidivist during the 9 years subsequent to the year of selection. By examining the rearrest rates during the 3 following years for drivers selected in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1992 we tried to look for major effects due to the change in the Norwegian road traffic act of 1988. Altogether 45% of the selected drunken drivers were arrested two or more times. Totally the '9-year survival rate' (i.e. not being rearrested) was 60% for drivers with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) selected from the interval 0.06-0.09%; 56% from BAC 0.13-0.16% and 51% from 0.26-0.29%. The data were further evaluated with respect to frequency of rearrest during 3 years after selection, and was around 30% in 1986, while it was lower for drivers selected in 1992 (19%). An explanation for the reduction in rearrest rate may be the changes in the road traffic act which took place in 1988.

Morphine-6-glucuronide-induced locomotor stimulation in mice: role of opioid receptors

Morphine-6beta-glucuronide is a major metabolite of morphine with potent analgesic actions. To explore the importance of this opiate when administered as a drug by its own or in morphine action, we studied the locomotor activity response to morphine and morphine-6-glucuronide in drug-naive C57 BL/6JBom mice. The effects of administration of the two opiates on a battery of 7 different locomotor activities were studied and compared to saline controls. A dose of 20 micromol/kg morphine-6-glucuronide resulted in more locomotion than the same dose of morphine, while at higher doses (up to 120 micromol/kg), similar increases for most locomotor behaviours were recorded for both drugs. Pretreatment with naltrindole indicated that the delta-receptors play an equivalent but minor role in mediating both morphine-6-glucuronide and morphine hyperlocomotion. Administration of high naltrexone doses (10 mg/kg) completely abolished the locomotor stimulation induced by both opiates. However, at intermediate naltrexone doses of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg, morphine-induced behaviours was completely inhibited while morphine-6-glucuronide induced behaviours demonstrated partial resistance to naltrexone inhibition. The mu1-specific receptor antagonist naloxonazine caused 75% reduction of morphine induced behaviours and only 50% inhibition of morphine-6-glucuronide induced behaviors. Taken together our observations indicated general similarity but also marked differences between morphine and morphine-6-glucuronide with respect to opiate receptors mediating the locomotor stimulatory effect.

Recidivism among drunken and drugged drivers in Norway

The prevalence of re-arrest among drunken drivers in relation to different blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) at the time of the offences was studied. Between 38 and 50% of arrested drunk drivers were re-arrested for similar offences. The frequency of re-arrests was, however, reduced during 1992 compared with a986, but only significantly for those with a low BAC interval (60-90 mg/d). We conclude that drivers with high re-arrest rates have a careless attitude to the Road Traffic Act and require a different treatment and follow-up programme.

Female drivers suspected for drunken or drugged driving

The National Institute of Forensic Toxicology in Oslo receives blood and urine samples from all Norwegian drivers apprehended on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In this study, sex differences in use of alcohol and drugs among Norwegian drunken and drugged drivers were presented. In 1992 and 1993, the institute received samples from 11,970 and 5642 suspected drunken and drugged drivers respectively. Women were underrepresented among both suspected drunken (7.6%) and drugged (10.9%) drivers. There were not observed dramatic gender differences in frequency and finding of drugs. The most frequent drugs in addition to alcohol were tetrahydrocannabinol, benzodiazepines and amphetamine. The data suggest that benzodiazepines are found relatively more often in blood from female than from male drugged drivers. Lower proportion of women with blood ethanol concentration over the legal limit was observed.

[Driving under the influence of benzodiazepines. Sale differences in the counties are reflected among drivers suspected of driving under the influence of a drug]

This study was based on all blood samples taken from drivers suspected of being influenced by alcohol and or drugs and sent to the National Institute of Forensic Toxicology in 1992. Benzodiazepines were among the most frequently detected drugs. The ratio between samples containing benzodiazepines and the total number of samples was compared with the sales of benzodiazepines in the different Norwegian provinces. In 95% of the benzodiazepine positive samples, either a combination with other drugs or a concentration significantly higher than usually found after ordinary therapeutic use was observed. These results indicated that the fraction of samples positive on benzodiazepines probably representing drug abuse or misuse correlated with the total prescription of benzodiazepines in the different Norwegian provinces.