Alcohol - Illegal drugs

It is rather difficult to have precise data on the number of road users involved in accidents with the presence of illegal substances, because the results of drug tests are not completely filled in the accident circumstances summary sheets that are used as a basis for road safety statistics. Specifically, in 2021, the information is missing for 49% of non-fatal crashes, while it is present in 71% of fatal crashes (50% in 2010). The figures below are extracted from these two subsets. Thus, if 436 people were killed (including 267 drivers of positive vehicles) in a crash involving drugs (i.e., 21% of those killed in crashes where drugs were known to be present), it can be estimated by extrapolation to all crashes that the number of people killed in a crash involving a driver who tested positive for drugs would be closer to 605 people killed, compared to 534 in 2020.

Drivers who are drunk and positive for at least one drug

Of the 405 drug-positive drivers involved in a fatal crash, nearly half (195) tested positive for alcohol at a level greater than 0.5g/l. This rate is similar for drivers involved in injury crashes. 52% of drivers involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 35 and 44.

Drivers and pedestrians positive for at least one drug

In fatal accidents, 30% of moped drivers tested positive for drugs, compared to 13% of car drivers and 3% of truck drivers. Among 18-24 year olds, 21% of drivers tested in fatal accidents were positive. Among 25-34 year olds, the proportion is almost the same (19%), but drops sharply among 45-64 year olds (7%).

In 2021, 44% of pedestrian fatalities (181 of 414) have a drug test result. 26 of the 181 pedestrian fatalities tested positive for drugs. 22 of these pedestrian fatalities were between the ages of 25 and 54.

Night, day and day type

On weekends, 24% of fatal crashes involve at least one driver testing positive for drugs, compared to 18% on weekdays. At night, the percentage is 27%, compared to 15% during the day.