The Effects of Psychotropic Drugs upon Driving-Related Skills

The use of psychotropic drugs by road users is considered to be on the increase although little accurate epidemiological data are available. To determine the effects of such drugs upon driving skills, reliance must be placed upon laboratory investigations. This paper reviews the results of studies of the effects of barbiturate and non-barbiturate hypnotics, tranquillizers, and antidepressants upon sensory functions and perceptual skills, cognitive skills, and motor skills. The relationship between such skills and actual driving performance is discussed and some possible mechanisms whereby psychotropic drugs may contribute to the causation of accidents are described. In view of the wide variety of drugs, dose levels and test situations used, few definite conclusions may be drawn regarding the effects of psychotropic drugs upon driving-related skills.

[1]  J. G. Miller.  Objective measurements of the effects of drugs on driver behavior. , 1962, JAMA.

[2]  H. Lance.  Report on transport services in general practice. An experiment in five general practices. , 1971, The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

[3]  E. Kibrick,et al.  Psychotropic drug use and driving risk: A review and analysis , 1970 .

[4]  A. Landauer,et al.  THE COMBINED EFFECT OF ALCOHOL AND AMITRIPTYLINE ON SKILLS SIMILAR TO MOTOR–CAR DRIVING , 1969, The Medical journal of Australia.

[5]  A. Nicholson,et al.  Comparison of the residual effects of two benzodiazepines (nitrazepam and flurazepam hydrochloride) and pentobarbitone sodium on human performance. , 1975, British journal of clinical pharmacology.

[6]  Raymond C. Peck,et al.  WITHDRAWN: Reprint of “The Prediction of Accident Liability Through Biographical Data And Psychometric Tests”☆ , 1973 .

[7]  A. Landauer,et al.  HALOPERIDOL AND DIAZEPAM, ALONE AND TOGETHER WITH ALCOHOL, IN RELATION TO DRIVING SAFETY , 1973 .

[8]  G. M. Mackay,et al.  Effects of Four Commonly-used Tranquillizers on Low-speed Driving Performance Tests , 1972, British medical journal.

[9]  A. Nicholson,et al.  Behavioural sequelae of methaqualone in man and in the monkey (Macaca mulatta). , 1975, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

[10]  A B Clayton.  AN ACCIDENT-BASED ANALYSIS OF ROAD-USER ERRORS , 1972 .

[11]  A Burg,et al.  Vision and Driving: A Report on Research , 1971 .

[12]  L. Melikian.  The effect of meprobamate on the performance of normal subjects on selected psychological tasks. , 1961, The Journal of general psychology.

[13]  W. Laurie,et al.  The effect of benzoctamine and alcohol on motor-skills used in car driving. , 1973, Forensic science.

[14]  A. Landauer,et al.  Alcohol, Thioridazine and Chlorpromazine Effects on Skills Related to Driving Behaviour , 1971, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[15]  A. Landauer,et al.  Alcohol and Amitriptyline Effects on Skills Related to Driving Behavior , 1969, Science.

[16]  L. Goldberg,et al.  [Traffic, tranquilizing agents and alcohol]. , 1967, Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift.

[17]  E. Callaway,et al.  The influence of amobarbital (amylobarbitone) and methamphetamine on the focus of attention. , 1959, The Journal of mental science.

[18]  R G Borland,et al.  Human performance after a barbiturate (heptabarbitone). , 1974, British journal of clinical pharmacology.

[19]  D. Campbell,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENT Al DESIGNS FOR RESEARCH , 2012 .

[20]  P. Tyrer,et al.  Physiological and psychological effects of ±-propranolol, +-propranolol and diazepam in induced anxiety. , 1974, British journal of clinical pharmacology.

[21]  D. Marquis,et al.  Personality differences and continued meprobamate and proclorperazine administration. , 1958, A.M.A. archives of neurology and psychiatry.

[22]  P. D. King,et al.  Effects of chlorpromazine and alcohol on coordination and judgement. , 1959, Journal of the American Medical Association.

[23]  L. Goldberg,et al.  [Driving tests to determine the influence of alcohol, tranquilizers and hypnotics on driing capability]. , 1969, Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.

[24]  S. Gershon,et al.  Imipramine Hydrochloride: Its Effects on Clinical, Autonomic, and Psychological Functions , 1962 .

[25]  A. B. Richards,et al.  Comparative effect in human subjects of chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, and placebo on mental and physical performance , 1965, Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.

[26]  J. G. Perry,et al.  DRUGS AND DRIVING , 1980 .

[27]  A. Jensen,et al.  The Stroop color-word test: a review. , 1966, Acta psychologica.

[28]  P. D. King,et al.  Meprobamate and small amounts of alcohol. Effects on human ability. coordination. and judgment. , 1960, JAMA.

[29]  A. Nicholson,et al.  Immediate effects on human performance of a 1,5-genzodiazepine (clobazam) compared with the 1,4-benzodiazepines, chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride and diazepam. , 1975, British journal of clinical pharmacology.

[30]  M. Lawton,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF DIAZEPAM (VALIUM®) AND ALCOHOL ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE , 1963 .

[31]  A. Landauer,et al.  Desipramine* and Imipramine**, alone and together with Alcohol in Relation to Driving Safety , 1971 .

[32]  C. Joyce,et al.  Persistent Behaviour and Electroencephalographic Changes after Single Doses of Nitrazepam and Amylobarbitone Sodium , 1970, British medical journal.