Drug consumption pattern of drivers causing traffic accidents with a motor vehicle in Hungary (2014-2023).

Authors

Katalin Kovács, Előd Hidvégi, Ferenc Rárosi, Róbert Berkecz, Éva M Kereszty, Éva Sija, Gábor Süvegh, László Institóris

Published in

Forensic science international. Volume 390. Pages 113185. Nov 03, 2026. Epub Nov 03, 2026.

Abstract

Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) is a recognized risk factor for traffic accidents, but data on accident-involved drivers in Hungary are scarce. We characterized drug use among 1563 drivers classified by the police as at fault for a traffic accident and tested on suspicion of drug use (DCA) between 2014 and 2023, and compared their toxicological profile with a previously reported cohort of drivers suspected of DUID at roadside checks (sDUID) from the same region and period. Blood and urine samples were screened for illicit drugs, psychoactive medicines and new psychoactive substances by gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Temporal trends were assessed using annual proportions of tested drivers and negative binomial regression with the annual number of tested drivers as an offset. Differences in the distribution of substance categories between DCA and sDUID drivers were assessed using Pearson's chi-square test, followed by post-hoc binomial tests with Bonferroni correction. Overall, 1308 drivers (83.7%) tested positive: classical illicit drugs in 48.6%, psychoactive medicines in 44.2%, synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRA) in 15.4% and stimulant new psychoactive substances (sNPS) in 9.94%. Benzodiazepines accounted for 84.1% of medicine-positive cases and exceeded the upper therapeutic limit in 55.6% of these. Benzodiazepines and SCRA were more frequent among DCA than sDUID drivers, whereas active tetrahydrocannabinol was more frequent among sDUID drivers. National seizure trends broadly mirrored these prevalence. Because both cohorts were selected by police suspicion, these differences express relative enrichment rather than accident risk. They nevertheless indicate that benzodiazepine-related impairment is less conspicuous at roadside checks and may be systematically under-detected.

PMID:
42998650
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Nov 2026.

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