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.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AshworthB. M.Drugs and driving.British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 1975, 13, 201–206
2.
BaylissP. F. C.DuncanS. M.The clinical pharmacology of viloxazine hydrochloride.British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1974, 1, 431–437
3.
BettsT. A.ClaytonA. B.MackayG. M.Effects of four commonly prescribed tranquillizers upon low-speed vehicle-handling tests.British Medical Journal, 1972, 4, 580–584
4.
BiehlB.The effects of two tranquillizers on driving performance as measured in the normal driving task. Paper presented at 18th Congress of International Association of Applied Psychology, Montreal, 1974.
5.
BorlandR. G.NicholsonA. N.Human performance after a barbiturate (heptabarbitone).British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1974, 1, 209–215
6.
BorlandR. G.NicholsonA. N.Comparison of the effects of two benzodiazepines and pentobarbitone sodium on human performance.British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1975, 2, 9–17. (a)
7.
BorlandR. G.NicholsonA. N.Immediate effects on human performance of a 1,5 benzodiazepine (clobazam) compared with the 1,4 benzodiazepines chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride and diazepam.British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1975, 2, 215–222. (b)
8.
BorlandR. G.NicholsonA. N.WrightC. M.Behavioural sequelae of methaqualone in man and in the monkey.British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1975, 2, 131–141
9.
BurgA.Vision and driving; A report on research.Human Factors, 1971, 13, 79–87
10.
CallawayE.The influence of amobarbital (amylobarbitone) and methamphetamine on the focus of attention.Journal of Mental Science, 1959, 105, 382–392
11.
CampbellD. T.StanleyJ. C.Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research.Chicago: Rand McNally.1963.
12.
ClaytonA. B.An accident-based analysis of road user errors.Journal of Safety Research, 1972, 4, 69–74
13.
ClaytonA. B.Kinetic visual acuity as a driver-related function. Paper presented at 1st International Congress of Vision and Road Safety, Paris, 1975.
14.
ClaytonA. B.BettsT. A.HarveyP. G.The influence of sex and personality factors upon the effects of tranquillizers on driving performance.Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety, Toronto, 1974, 415–422
15.
ClaytonA. B.MackayG. M.BettsT. A.The effects of certain tranquillizers and alcohol upon kinetic visual acuity.Proceedings of 16th Conference American Association for Automotive Medicine, 1972, 199–215
16.
GershonS.HolmbergG.MattesonE.MattesonN.MarshallA.Imipramine hydrochloride. Its effects upon clinical, autonomic, and psychological functions.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1962, 6, 96–101
17.
HaranoR. M.PeckR. C.McBrideR. S.The prediction of accident liability through biographical data and psychometric tests.Journal of Safety Research, 1975, 7, 16–52
18.
HarveyP. G. Personal communication, July, 1975.
19.
HolmbergG.William-OlssonU.The effect of benzquinamide in comparison with chlordiazepoxide and placebo, on performance in some psychological tests.Psychopharmacologia, 1963, 4, 402–417
20.
HuffmanW. J.FlorioA. E.PayneJ. L.BoysF. E.The influence of two selected tranquillizers on driving skills.American Journal of Psychiatry, 1963, 119, 885–886
21.
HughesF. W.ForneyR. B.RichardsA. B.Comparative effect in human subjects of chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, and placebo on mental and physical performance.Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1965, 6, 139–145
22.
IdestromC.CadeniusB.Chlordiazepoxide, dipiperon, and amobarbitol dose effect studies on human beings.Psychopharmacologia, 1963, 4, 235–246
23.
JaattelaA.MannistoP.PaateroH.TuomistoJ.The effects of diazepam or diphenhydramine on healthy human subjects.Psychopharmacologia, 1971, 21, 202–211
KellyE. L.MillerT. G.MarquisD. G.GerardR. W.UhrL.Personality differences and continued meprobamate and proclorperazine administration.Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 1958, 80, 241–246
26.
KibrickE.SmartR. G.Psychotropic drug use and driving risk: A review and analysis.Journal of Safety Research, 1970, 2, 73–85
27.
KielholzP.GoldbergL.Im OberstegJ.PoeldingerW.RamseyerA.SchmidP.Strassenverkehr, Tranquilizer und Alkohol.Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, 1967, 92, 1525–1531
28.
KielholzP.GoldbergL.Im OberstegJ.PoeldingerW.RamseyerA.SchmidP.Fahrversuche zur Frage der Beemträchtigung der Verkehrstuchtigkeit durch Alkohol, Tranquilizer und Hypnotika.Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, 1969, 94, 301–306
29.
LandauerA. A.LaurieW.MilnerG.The effect of benzoctamine and alcohol on motor-skills used in car driving.Forensic Science, 1973, 2, 275–283
30.
LandauerA. A.MilnerG.Desipramine and imipramine, alone and together with alcohol in relation to driving safety.Pharmakopsychiatrie Neuro-Psychopharmakologie, 1971, 4, 265–275
31.
LandauerA. A.MilnerG.PatmanJ.Alcohol and amitriptyline effects on skills related to driving behavior.Science, 1969, 163, 1467–1468
32.
LandauerA. A.PocockD. A.ProttF. W.The effects of medazepam and alcohol on cognitive and motor skills used in car driving.Psychopharmocologia, 1974, 37, 158–168
33.
LawtonM. P.CahnB.The effects of diazepam (Valium) and alcohol on psychomotor performance.Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 1963, 136, 550–554
34.
LinnoilaM.MattilaM. J.Drug interaction on psychomotor skills related to driving: diazepam and alcohol.European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1973, 5, 186–194
35.
LinnoilaM.SaarioF.MakiM.Effect of treatment with diazepam or lithium and alcohol on psychomotor skills related to driving.European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1974, 7, 337–342
36.
MalpasA.RowanA. J.JoyceC. R. B.ScottD. F.Persistent behavioural and electroencephalographic changes after single doses of nitrazepam and amylobarbitone sodium.British Medical Journal, 1970, 2, 762–764
37.
MelikianL.The effect of meprobamate on the performance of normal subjects on selected psychological tests.Journal of General Psychology, 1961, 65, 33–38
38.
MillerJ. G.Objective measurements of the effects of drugs on driver behavior.Journal of American Medical Association, 1962, 179, 940–943
39.
MilnerG.LandauerA. A.Alcohol, thioridazine and chlorpromazine effects on skills related to driving behaviour.British Journal of Psychiatry, 1971, 118, 351–352
40.
MilnerG.LandauerA. A.Haloperidol and diazepam, alone and together with alcohol, in relation to driving safety,Blutalkohol, 1973, 10, 247–254
41.
ParishP. A.The prescribing of psychotropic drugs in general practice.Journal of Royal College of General Practitioners, 1971, 21, (Supplement 4)
42.
PatmanJ.LandauerA. A.MilnerG.The combined effect of alcohol and amitriptyline on skills similar to motor-car driving.Medical Journal of Australia, 1969, 2, 946–949
43.
QuartonG. C.TallandG. A.The effects of metamphetamine and pentobarbital on two measures of attention.Psychopharmacologia, 1962, 3, 66–71
44.
SabeyB.Accident analysis in Great Britain. Paper presented at 1st International Driver Behaviour Research Association Conference, Zurich, 1973.
45.
SchroederS. A.EwingJ. A.RouseB. A.BallP.AllenJ. A.Synergistic effects of alcohol, methapyriline, and chlordiazepoxide on drivers' eye movements and tracking errors in simulated dangerous situations.Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, Highway Safety Research Center, September, 1972.
46.
SchwartzbergA. Z.Van de CastleR. W.A controlled clinical study of chlordiazepoxide.American Journal of Psychiatry, 1961, 117, 922–923
47.
SuzumuraA.The trial production of a kinetic vision tester (Type AS-4A) and its application.Annual Report of Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Japan, 1968, 16, 77–89
48.
TurnerP. Personal communication, 1971. [Cited in Ashworth (1975).]
49.
TyrerP. J.LaderM. H.Physiological and psychological effects of ± propranolol and diazepam in induced anxiety.British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1974, 1, 379–385
50.
UhrL.PollardJ. C.MillerJ. G.Behavioural effects of chronic administration of psychoactive drugs to anxious subjects.Psychopharmacologia, 1959, 1, 150–168
51.
WambsganssV. E.BredenkampJ.An experimental psychological study of the effects of haloperidol given alone or in combination with alcohol.Arzneimittelforschung, 1968, 18, 238–241
52.
WildeG. J. S.Road user behaviour and traffic safety: Towards a rational strategy of accident prevention.Kingston, Ontario: Queen's University, Studies of Safety in Transport, April, 1975.
53.
ZirkleG. A.KingP. D.McAteeO. B.Van DykeR.Effects of chlorpromazine and alcohol on coordination and judgement.Journal of American Medical Association, 1959, 171, 1496–1499
54.
ZirkleG. A.McAteeO. B.KingP. D.Van DykeR.Meprobamate and small amounts of alcohol.Journal of American Medical Association, 1960, 173, 1823–1825
