Young people, drug use and drugged-driving

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Young people, drug use and drugged-driving

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Fátima Pereira da Silva / Rui Mendes / Patrícia Girão / Mariana Francisco

According to World Health Organization (WHO) road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death globally, leading to the death of 1.2 million people each year. Data from National Authority for Road Safety (ANSR-Portugal) points to age group between 18 and 24 years old as the most vulnerable facing road dangers. In the last 10 years 15% of fatalities, 18% of serious injuries and minor injuries happened in this age group. It is also in this younger group that most accidents occur during weekend nights compared to the other days of the week. This article aims to present the results of a preliminary study about drug use and drugged-driving, through the application of the DDYP-Scale Questionnaire to 140 young people. For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied. Results presented here, although somewhat different from American and European studies, indicate a clear tendency to the recreational use of marijuana and drugged-driving, among younger populations.