Issues and Methods in the Detection of Alcohol and Other Drugs TRANSPORTATION Number E-C020, September 2000 RESEARCH ISSN 0097-8515 E-CIRCULAR
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH E-CIRCULAR Number E-C020 September 2000 Issues and Methods in the Detection of Alcohol and Other Drugs TRANSPORTATION Number E-C020, September 2000 RESEARCH ISSN 0097-8515 E-CIRCULAR Issues and Methods in the Detection of Alcohol and Other Drugs COMMITTEE ON ALCOHOL, OTHER DRUGS, AND TRANSPORTATION Allan F. Williams, Chair Marcelline Burns Hans Laurell Stephen M. Simon Carol P. Council Susan E. Martin Herbert M. Simpson James Fell J. J. McLean Carl A. Soderstrom Susan A. Ferguson Judy Z. Meade Barry M. Sweedler Robert D. Foss Herbert Moskowitz Evelyn Vingilis James H. Hedlund Wolf-Ruediger Nickel Robert B. Voas Susan B. Herbel Raymond C. Peck J. Michael Walsh Ralph Hingson David F. Preusser Elisabeth N. Wells-Parker Brian A. Jonah Jean T. Shope Richard F. Pain, TRB Staff Representative Robert Hilterbrand, TRB Senior Program Assistant Subscriber categories Transportation Research Board IIA highway and facility design National Research Council 4B safety and human performance 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW nationalacademies.org/trb Washington, DC 20418 The Transportation Research Board is a unit of the National Research Council, which is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The research council provides independent advice on scientific and technical matters under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit institution dedicated to the advancement of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. The Transportation Research Board is distributing this Circular to make the information contained herein available for use by individual practitioners in state and local transportation agencies, researchers in academic institutions, and other members of the transportation research community. The information in this Circular was taken directly from the submissions of the authors. This document is not a report of the National Research Council or of the National Academy of Sciences. FOREWORD This TRB circular includes the papers and discussion from a midyear 1998 meeting and workshop organized by the Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation (A3B10). The conference chair and organizer was Allan F. Williams. James H. Hedlund prepared this circular. In the workshop, the presentation of one or more discussion papers, or comments, followed each paper presentation. Then questions and answers and a general discussion period provided all participants the opportunity to explore the topic further and express opinions on research or program needs, ideas, or opportunities. CONTENTS Workshop Introduction: ISSUES AND METHODS IN THE DETECTION OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS . A-1 Allan F. Williams Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Robert B. Voas Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Susan A. Ferguson Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Workshop Summary: WHAT’S NEEDED TO IMPROVE POLICE DETECTION OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS IN DRIVERS . B-1 James Hedlund Highway Safety North LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO DETECTION . C-1 Michele Fields Insurance Institute for Highway Safety INCREASING THE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXAMINE IMPAIRED DRIVERS. D-1 Jack W. Stuster Anacapa Sciences, Inc. Comments on “Increasing the Opportunities to Examine Impaired Drivers” . D-16 Douglas J. Beirness Traffic Injury Research Foundation Comments on “Increasing the Opportunities to Examine Impaired Drivers” . D-19 Barry M. Sweedler National Transportation Safety Board Comments on “Increasing the Opportunities to Examine Impaired Drivers” . D-22 James C. Fell National Highway Traffic Safety Administration IDENTIFICATION OF ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT ON INITIAL INTERVIEW . E-1 David F. Preusser Preusser Research Group, Inc. Comments on “Identification of Alcohol Impairment on Initial Interview” . E-8 Bill Tower Maryland State Police Department Comments on “Identification of Alcohol Impairment on Initial Interview” . E-11 Susan A. Ferguson Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IDENTIFICATION OF IMPAIRMENT OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE: FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS. F-1 Marcelline M. Burns Southern California Research Institute Comments on “Identification of Impairment Outside the Vehicle” . F-13 Robert B. Voas Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Comments on “Identification of Impairment Outside the Vehicle” . F-20 James Hedlund Highway Safety North EVIDENCE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG IMPAIRMENT OBTAINED AFTER ARREST . G-1 Steve Simon University of Minnesota Comments on “Evidence of Alcohol and Drug Impairment Obtained After Arrest” . G-15 Herbert A. Moskowitz Southern California Research Institute Comments on “Evidence of Alcohol and Drug Impairment Obtained After Arrest” . G-19 Michele Fields Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ISSUES IN THE DETECTION OF DRUGS OTHER THAN ALCOHOL . H-1 J. Michael Walsh The Walsh Group, P.A. Comments on “Issues in the Detection of Drugs Other Than Alcohol” . H-11 Han de Gier University of Utrecht Comments on “Issues in the Detection of Drugs Other Than Alcohol” . H-14 Richard P. Compton National Highway Traffic Safety Administration PROSECUTING AND ADJUDICATING DWI DETECTION EVIDENCE . I-1 Joel A. Watne State of Minnesota Comments on “Prosecuting and Adjudicating DWI Detection Evidence” . I-25 Kathryn Stewart Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Comments on “Prosecuting and Adjudicating DWI Detection Evidence” . I-27 William G. Sleva Lawrence Superior Court II WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION Issues and Methods in the Detection of Alcohol and Other Drugs ALLAN F. WILLIAMS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ROBERT B. VOAS Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation SUSAN A. FERGUSON Insurance Institute for Highway Safety INTRODUCTION The central question of this workshop is: How can it reliably be established that a person has consumed alcohol and/or other drugs in amounts that are illegal and/or may cause harm to that person or others? Many people think of this as a relatively easy task, conjuring up images of the “falling down drunk,” although even this obvious display may be something else, for example, diabetic shock. The reality is that even when people have high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) known to cause significant impairment, it can be difficult for experts and laypersons alike to detect alcohol, especially among seasoned users and among people who wish to remain undetected. Detecting drugs other than alcohol presents its own set of problems, and in many cases the behavioral cues are less obvious than when alcohol has been consumed. The workshop’s focus is on police detection of alcohol and other drugs among drivers of private motor vehicles. DETECTION PROBLEMS There are many examples that illustrate serious detection problems involving alcohol consumption. In a 1957 study in which medical assessments of impaired driving ability were compared with results of actual driving tests, it was concluded that “a medical examination alone is not a reliable means of detecting alcoholic impairment of driving ability” (Crime Detection Laboratory, 1957). In several investigations around the world in which people at various BACs were diagnosed as drunk or not, only 62 percent of people with BACs of 0.10–0.15 percent were thought to be drunk (American Medical Association, 1968). Tolerance to alcohol allows many heavy drinkers to escape detection, even at very high BACs (Chesher and Greeley, 1992). Rosen and Lee (1976) found that although social drinkers exhibited behavioral signs of intoxication at BACs of 0.10 percent, alcoholics showed virtually none, even though both groups were equally impaired on cognitive performance measures involving recall of lists of numbers and words. Perper et al. (1986) reported that many alcoholics admitted to a detoxification unit had normal speech, gait, and unimpaired ability to undress, even with BACs of 0.35 percent and greater. At sobriety checkpoints conducted in North Carolina, 60 percent of drivers with A-1 A-2 TRB Circular E-C020: Issues and Methods in the Detection of Alcohol and Other Drugs BACs of 0.10 percent or greater were not detained by police for further testing (Wells et al., 1997). In a study of the detection of alcohol under ideal laboratory conditions, 40 percent of drinking subjects with BACs greater than 0.08 percent were not identified by alcohol odor after they had eaten some food (Moskowitz et al., 1997). There is scant literature on the detection of drugs other than alcohol among drivers or in other situations. On the road, drivers sometimes come under suspicion of having ingested drugs when they act impaired but test negatively for alcohol. In this context, police officers trained in drug recognition techniques are reasonably accurate in determining if drugs are, in fact, involved (Preusser et al., 1992). However, it is not known how many drugged drivers there are who do not come under suspicion in this manner. Most of the examples involving alcohol detection pertain to identifying people with high BACs. However, depending on the target population, it is also necessary to identify people with lower BACs—0.08 percent, 0.04 percent, or any alcohol—and this is correspondingly more difficult. IMPORTANCE OF DETECTION IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS Although the workshop focuses on police detection of alcohol and other drugs among drivers, there are many other instances in which we wish to detect alcohol and other drugs: commercial transportation in all forms; non-motor-vehicle pursuits such as recreational boating; industry; medical settings in cases in