Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/219146

Title

The effect of d-methamphetamine on simulated driving performance

Author(s)

Silber, Beata Y.;  Croft, Rodney J.;  Downey, Luke A.;  Papafotiou, Katherine;  Camfield, David A.;  Stough, Con

Abstract

Objectives: Methamphetamine is considered to be one of the most popularly abused drugs by drivers; however, its exact effect on driving and driving behaviour has yet to be thoroughly investigated. This being despite methamphetamine's increased prevalence in injured and deceased drivers. Methods: Twenty healthy recreational illicit stimulant users (10 male and 10 female), aged between 21 and 32 years (mean = 25.4 years, SD = 3.3 years) attended two testing sessions involving oral consumption of 0.42 mg/kg d-methamphetamine or a matching placebo. The drug administration was counter-balanced, double-blind, and medically supervised. At each session driving, performance was assessed 2.5 h post drug administration. Results: d-methamphetamine (0.42 mg/kg) did not significantly impair overall simulated driving performance 2.5 h post drug administration. At the individual driving variable level, participants in the d-methamphetamine condition were observed to be driving slower when an emergency situation occurred (T = 44, p < 0.05), but interestingly, participants in both conditions recorded average speeds in excess of the speed limit (100 km/h) when the emergency situations occurred. The d-methamphetamine condition did also produce four times more infringements where participants did not stop at red traffic light in comparison to the placebo, but this effect was only evident at a trend level (T = 7, p = 0.11). Conclusions The findings presented herein suggest that d-methamphetamine administered at the levels supplied did not impair driving performance in a manner consistent with epidemiological evidence. Further research is certainly required to elucidate the effects of various doses of methamphetamine, alone and in combination with other legal and illicit substances.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences. Centre for Human Psychopharmacology

Source

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, Vol. 27, no. 2 (Mar 2012), pp. 139-144

Publication year

2012

FOR Code(s)

1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences;  1701 Psychology;  1702 Cognitive Sciences

Keyword(s)

Driving;  Driving performance;  Driving simulator;  Illicit drugs;  Methamphetamines

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons

ISSN

0885-6222

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hup.1238

Copyright

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Research Projects

Roadside saliva based testing for amphetamine-type stimulants in drivers: an evaluation of the relationship between positive drug tests and driving impairment after the consumption of methamphetamine and MDMA, Australian Research Council grant number DP0772762

Additional information

The authors acknowledge support from VicRoads, Melbourne, Australia.

Peer reviewed