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ABSTRACT: Large numbers of individuals use illicit drugs (e.g. cannabis, heroin, cocaine). The number of people driving vehicles has also increased. There is an increasing overlap between populations of illicit drug users and drivers. This paper describes the magnitude and nature of an illicit drugs and driving problem. The relationship between the consumption of illicit substances and driving skills, accident involvement and driving behaviour are examined using epidemiological data, injury and fatality statistics, empirical/behavioural evidence and survey research. Problems for the interpretation of such data are identified, and a number of questions remain unanswered for characterizing the magnitude and nature of the problem. Measures designed to counter the drugs and driving issue (e.g. secondary enforcement) are discussed. Proposals are made for further countermeasures based on current evidence.
07/2009; 3(3):140-149.
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ABSTRACT: Research has shown that attentional bias toward smoking-related stimuli is related to the maintenance of smoking behaviour and the chance of a relapse during a quit attempt. Effects of smoking attentional bias can occur both during smoking stimulus presentation (fast effect) and on stimuli that immediately follow smoking stimuli (slow effect). The current research builds on these findings by closely examining the temporal aspects of these fast and slow effects across groups of different smoking status. In Experiment 1 (n = 64), smokers, smokers attempting to quit (SATQ) and non-smokers completed an addiction Stroop task using smoking related, negative emotion and neutral stimuli. In Experiment 2 (n = 32), marijuana smokers and non-marijuana smokers completed an addiction Stroop task using marijuana and neutral stimuli. Results showed fast effects across all smoking groups (except non-smokers) and slow effects in SATQ and marijuana smokers. Furthermore, marijuana smokers showed slow effects over extended periods of time. Results also show a relationship between anxiety, nicotine dependence and attentional bias in SATQ. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal of Psychopharmacology 07/2008; 23(5):510-9. · 3.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The issues explored in this study were whether a patient group of problem drinkers selectively attend to alcohol-related stimuli and the time course of any interference from alcohol-related stimuli in comparison with two control groups of non-problem drinkers.
A 3 x 2 x 2 x 5 factorial design was used. Drinking group (low, high and problem) and word order (alcohol-neutral, neutral-alcohol) were between-participant factors, and word type (alcohol, neutral) and presentation block (1-5) were within participant factors.
Three groups were used, 20 participants from a local community alcohol Service (CAS) and 40 participants (student volunteers) in two control groups. The two control groups were differentiated as scoring high or low on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).
A modified computerized Stroop colour naming test was used to measure response latencies. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
The CAS group showed significantly longer reaction times to respond to the colour of alcohol-related words than to neutral category words. Although the interference was smaller for the high AUDIT group it was significant. No significant interference was found in the low AUDIT group. There was no statistical evidence that the interference habituated in the three groups.
The present study showed it is possible to use a modified Stroop task as a measure of implicit processing of alcohol stimuli. Despite the fact that all participants were asked to ignore the words, they were unable to do so. Alcohol-related words produced more interference than neutral category words in a group of problem drinkers and a control group of high alcohol drinkers.
Addiction 03/2001; 96(2):285-95. · 4.31 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Drug-driving behaviour among out-of-treatment dependent drug users has not been investigated while a theoretical perspective on the propensity of certain drug users to drive while impaired has not been suggested. This paper examines illicit drugs and driving behaviour and accident involvement among out-of-treatment current drug users. Psychological evidence of belief-based mechanisms to account for the decision to drive while impaired by drugs are provided. A total of 210 out-of-treatment current drug users were interviewed in a non-clinical setting by privileged access interviewers. Questionnaire measures were: current illicit drug use, severity of dependence, illicit drugs and driving behaviour, impaired and unimpaired accident involvement and beliefs and perceptions about the impairing effects of a number of illicit drugs. Analyses are restricted to participants who reported driving during the previous 12 months (n = 71). Fifty-eight participants (81.7%) reported driving immediately after consuming illicit drugs, primarily heroin and cannabis. Of these 41.4% (n = 24) had at least one road accident as a driver, 15 of whom (62.4%) reported accident involvement following recent drug consumption. Belief-based results showed that participants who reported never driving after using illicit drugs perceived heroin, methadone and alcohol to be greater significance for accident risk and driving skills impairment than other drugs. Those drivers who reported drugs and driving behaviour believed only alcohol to be significantly more impairing than other drugs. Findings indicated that illicit drugs and driving behaviour is common among out-of-treatment drug users. Accident involvement among this cohort is characterised by the previous consumption of illicit substances. Differential beliefs about the effects of drugs on driving performance and accident risk were shown to be dependent upon frequency of drugs and driving behaviour. Results are discussed in terms of experiential factors and consistency theories of attitude formation and change.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence 03/2000; 58(1-2):197-204. · 3.38 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In the first phase of a prospective investigation, a national sample of motorcyclists completed a postal questionnaire about their perceptions of risk, their behaviour on the roads and their history of accidents and spills. In the second phase a year later, they reported on their accident history and behaviour over the preceding 12 months. A total of 723 respondents completed both questionnaires. Four sets of findings are reported. First, the group as a whole showed unrealistic optimism: on average, respondents believed themselves to be less at risk than other motorcyclists of an accident needing hospital treatment in the next year. Second, optimism was tempered by 'relative realism', in that respondents who were young and inexperienced saw themselves as more at risk than other motorcyclists, as did riders who reported risky behaviours on the road. Third, there was some evidence of debiasing by personal history, in that having a friend or a relative who had been killed or injured on the roads was associated with perceptions of absolute risk of injury or death--though there were no effects on comparative risk and no effects on any of the judgments of a history of accidents of one's own. Finally, there was good evidence that perceptions of risk predicted subsequent behaviour, though generally in the direction not of precaution adoption but of precaution abandonment: the greater the perceived risk at time 1, the more frequent the risky behaviour at time 2. The implications of the findings are discussed, and possible interpretations are suggested.
British Journal of Psychology 12/1998; 89 ( Pt 4):681-96. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Reports have consistently shown that non-specialist drug workers (whose working role is not specifically concentrated on dealing with drug-related issues) are reluctant to work with drug users. A number of explanations have been offered to account for this unwillingness including attitudinal factors, occupational constraints and a lack of motivation to learn about drug-related issues. Previously, it has been shown that training affects commitment to working with substance misusers, although failure to attract particular professional groups (e.g. general practitioners) into training courses has also been reported. No previous research has examined the views of trainers about training primary health care and health-related workers. This study of a (non-probability) sample of UK drug trainers (n = 145) assessed training activity for different health care workers, and trainers' differential perceptions of training needs and methods. GPs were the group least likely to become trained about drug issues. Training in attitudes towards drug using individuals was perceived to be more important than either skills or knowledge training for GPs, practice nurses, other nurses and probation officers. Experiential training methods were perceived to be more important than a didactic approach for training all health groups except GPs for whom lecture type instruction was believed to be equally appropriate. Seventy-nine percent of subjects reported providing training across drugs in alcohol or drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Most trainers who stated that certain professions required independent training believed that GPs should be trained separately from other groups.
Drug and Alcohol Review 01/1997; 15(4):343-55. · 1.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The decision to drink and drive may involve the subjective process of weighing the perceived risks of adverse consequences of the behaviour against perceived utility components. Deterrence theory proposes that an individual will refrain from drink-driving if the perceived chances of experiencing negative outcomes associated with the behaviour are high. Previous research has demonstrated that there may be a mechanism of judgmental bias which influences individuals' perceived probabilities of rarely occurring events. In general driver age and gender have been shown independently to be both indicative and non-indicative for the operation of the bias in terms of subjective perceptions of driver skill, safety and accident involvement. Little evidence has been presented to describe the nature of the bias in the specific domain of drink-driving. Responses from more than 1000 UK drivers were examined to establish whether a system of bias operated for judgments of the likelihood of experiencing several possible adverse consequences of drink-driving across males/females, age groups and offenders/non-offenders. In general drivers were found to perceive themselves as less likely than the average driver to be accident involved while impaired and non-impaired by alcohol. Drivers reporting previous drink-driving behaviour indicated the greatest bias. The age and gender of the driver, independently and in interaction, were not shown to be important in the operation of these perceptual inconsistencies. Findings are discussed for implications of deterrence based drink-driving counter-measures.
Drug and Alcohol Review 04/1996; 15(1):39-45. · 1.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A structural model is described that examines the contributions of personal and situational determinants (interactionist theory) for the elicitation of previous self-reported drink-driving offending. Responses of 1011 UK driver's licence holders to 57 questions concerning demographics, driving experience/exposure, deterrence issues, attitudinal factors and situation specific drink-driving behaviour were subjected to a series of multiple regression analyses. Seven variables (five personal and two situational) accounting for 46% of the sample variance were shown to be significantly predictive of undetected offending behaviour. Of these age and safe driving consumption estimates were found to be best described in terms of their direct effects on offending behaviour. The relationships between general alcohol consumption and exposure to secondary level enforcement (breath test) with drink-driving behaviour have both direct and indirect effects. Two attitudinal factors referring to a belief of deterrence if random breath testing were introduced into the UK, and arranging alternative transport on a drinking occasion, as well as exposure to a drink-driving charge, show approximately proportional direct and spurious links with offending. Findings are discussed i n terms of the utility of an interactionist approach for the study of drink-driving behaviour, previous attempts at modelling drink-driving behaviour, and the implications that such results have for counter-measure development.
Ergonomics 10/1995; 38(9):1805-18. · 1.41 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: UK drink-drive countermeasures have been grounded in deterrence theory and more specifically through per se legislation. Education and information campaigns to stimulate inhibitory behavioural systems have emphasized the legal limit in terms of "driving safeness". This study examined the relationship between subjective perceptions of safe driving and legal driving consumption limits and other factors important in the decision to drive after drinking. Responses from over 900 drivers established that those who perceived safe consumption levels to be greater than that required to break the law indicated reduced moral commitment to present and possible future countermeasures. These drivers also had previous experience of being breath tested (but not charged with a drink-driving offence), reported comparatively lower estimates of their chances of apprehension and accident involvement when over the legal limit, showed higher consumption levels on a driving trip and greater self-reported driving while impaired by alcohol. The implications of the findings for the development and delivery of measures to counter drink-driving are discussed.
Addiction 03/1995; 90(2):245-54. · 4.31 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sumario: A structural model is described that examines the contributions of personal and situational determinants for the elicitation of previous self-reported drink-driving offending. Findings are discussed in terms of the utility of an interactionist approach for the study of drink-driving behaviour, previous attempts at modelling drink-driving behaviour, and the implications that such results have for countermeasure development
