CIHR Team In Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Preventing Impaired Driving: From Patient to Policy and Practice.

Impaired driving is a leading cause of preventable injury and death. The study of drivers at risk of impaired driving will improve our understanding of this dangerous behaviour and of successful means to prevent it. One-third of injured drivers have alcohol levels above the legal limit. Despite the fact that injured impaired drivers are at high risk of recidivism, only 11% are convicted of impaired driving and 31% will again drive while impaired after leaving hospital. Drivers convicted of impaired driving are over three times more likely to be convicted of a subsequent offence or involved in an alcohol-related collision. Clearly the current legal and medical systems are not preventing impaired driving in high risk drivers. Our integrated program of research will identify high risk drivers, develop and evaluate screening and intervention programs which target this group, and explore ways the medical and legal systems can cooperate to reduce impaired driving in high risk drivers.