Among drivers involved in serious accidents in rural areas, there are higher rates of alcohol driving, detectable cannabis and simultaneous use of several substances than among urban drivers, according to a pan-Canadian study whose results were published in the journalTraffic Injury Prevention.
The study, led by Floyd Besserer of the University of British Columbia, and a team that included Dr.rRaoul Daoust, professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Montreal, focuses on toxicological data from 13,792 lightly or seriously injured drivers treated in 17 emergency departments across the country from 2018 to 2024.
Of these, 2078 (15.1%) were rural.
Toxicological analyzes were carried out in a central laboratory, which guarantees uniformity of results from one hospital to another.
Alcohol: almost twice as much detected among rural people
First observation: alcohol is almost twice as often detected among rural drivers. Blood alcohol levels above zero were found in 24.6% of them, compared to 14.8% of urban drivers. Beyond the legal threshold of 0.08%, the gap remains, with 18.5% in rural areas compared to 11.3% in urban areas, a 23% higher probability.
Cannabis is also more present in the blood of injured rural drivers: 17.2% had a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) level above zero, compared to 14.6% in urban areas. On the other hand, for high concentrations – 5 ng/mL and above – the two groups are comparable.
If cannabis is more frequently detected among drivers in the regions, their level of intoxication is no higher than in the city. Opioids, depressants, and central nervous system stimulants are also at higher rates in rural areas, with odds ranging from 14 to 21 percent above urban thresholds.