A toxicological study just released by the Dominican Medical Association (AMD) concludes that more than half of Dominicans involved in vehicle accidents were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident. The study was a collaborative effort between the Institute of Forensic Pathology and Darío Contreras Hospital. It was directed by Dr. Pedro Green, coordinate and tenured professor of Orthopedics and Traumatology at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). The study involved checking 410 patients brought to Darío Contreras Hospital after suffering traffic accidents during the period November 3-December 2, 1998. These for the most part were middle-class drivers and motorconchistas. Higher class drivers tend to go to private clinics when in an accident, so they are not reflected in the study. The urine of 300 of the 410 was tested for indications of alcohol or cocaine; 113, or 37%, tested positive for one or the other (99 alcohol, 14 cocaine). In the emergency room 118 admitted that they had been drinking before the accident. Of these, the overwhelming majority (73) ingested beers, while 23 said rum, 15 whiskey and five a mixture of drinks. Of these, 37 were "under the influence," 35 "highly influenced," 22 "intoxicated" and five "semi-conscious." Green called for the National Police (PN) and National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) to take steps to detect drivers consuming alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines or marijuana, and for Transit Courts to cancel the driver’s license of repeat offenders.
