More than half of the drivers killed in a traffic accident last year tested positive for alcohol, drugs and psychotropic drugs, and 42% of the pedestrians who were run over, too. This is included in the 2022 Report on toxicological findings in traffic accident victims that was presented today and which shows that, despite awareness campaigns, police controls and fines, the consumption of toxic substances -and above all alcohol-, continues to be behind many of the fatal accidents that occur in Spain.
Of the 854 drivers who died in a traffic accident last year and underwent an autopsy, 451 gave positive toxicology results for alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs, or for several of these consumptions.
Specifically, 35.5% of the drivers who lost their lives behind the wheel exceeded the blood alcohol limit, 20% tested positive for drugs (the most detected substances were cocaine and cannabis) and 14.6% had consumed psychopharmaceuticals. This represents a slight decrease in the detection of alcohol and drugs compared to 2021 and, on the other hand, an increase in the deaths that were driving under the influence of psychotropic drugs.
However, the authors of the report emphasize that 72% of the drivers who tested positive for alcohol had a very high blood alcohol level, associated with very severe degrees of intoxication.
The data collected in the Report also confirms that there is a clear gender bias among those who get behind the wheel despite having abused alcohol or drugs. 92% of the deceased drivers who tested positive in the toxicological analysis were men, compared to 8% women.
And three out of four pedestrians who were run over last year and tested positive for alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs were also men. In total, there were 221 pedestrians killed by being run over, of which 42.5% tested positive for any of these substances, the most prevalent being alcohol and psychotropic drugs. The latter were detected in 6.4% more cases than in 2021.
63% of drivers who were victims of a traffic accident who had consumed alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs were between 25 and 54 years old. The statistics show that in the case of the youngest, from 18 to 34 years of age, fatal accidents in which the driver tested positive for toxicological tests occurred mainly on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, while in the 35-year-old age group At 65 years of age, the accident took place mainly on weekdays.
