By Larry Weisberg on October 24th, 2013
The actions a truck driver takes when behind the wheel can be very impactful on the motorists the truck driver shares the roads with. Improper conduct by a truck driver can sometimes result in multi-vehicle accidents occurring. One very dangerous type of improper conduct is driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. One would hope that truckers would never engage in this type of conduct.
Sadly, truckers do sometimes drive while drunk or under the influence of drugs. This can be seen in a research review that was recently conducted.
The review was headed by a researcher from Brazil. It looked at 36 different studies that were conducted regarding alcohol and drug use by truckers. The studies were from many different countries, including the United States.
Findings From The Alcohol & Drug Use Research Review
The review found that the findings regarding the prevalence of alcohol/drug use by truckers varied significantly from study to study. The review was, however, able to pin down a few trends.
First, the review found that there do seem to be certain subsets of truckers that are more likely to engage in substance abuse while on the job, such as lower-paid truckers, truckers who do longer trips, truckers who more frequently drive at night and younger truckers.
Secondly, the review found that alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines are the intoxicating substances truckers are most likely to use.
One hopes that truck drivers are held accountable when they use alcohol or drugs when on the job. One also hopes that truck companies are held accountable when they fail to take proper steps to ensure that their drivers are not engaging in such wrongful conduct.
If a person has been hurt in a truck accident and believes that the accident was caused by alcohol use or drug use by a truck driver, they should consider speaking to a personal injury attorney about possible relief-seeking options.
Source: philly.com, “Study Probes Why Truckers Use Booze, Illicit Drugs,” Randy Dotinga, Oct. 22, 2013