SIMULATED DRIVING PERFORMANCE OF BENZODIAZEPINE USERS

Objective: The basic aim was to study if benzodiazepine users exhibit impaired performance in simulated car driving and in laboratory tests. Effects of a small dose of alcohol on performance were also to be studied. Methods: Comparisons were made between twenty outpatients using benzodiazepines and an individually age and sex matched control group. Driving distance was 120 km. Effect measures were brake reaction time, lateral position variation, and speed variation. The two groups were also compared on three laboratory tests, simple reaction time, choice reaction time, and short-term memory. Alcohol consumption resulted in BACs between 25 mg% and 40 mg%. Results: The users exhibited greater intra individual speed variation at simulated driving, and impaired performance on simple reaction time and memory. No other differences were found. No relationship was found between dosage and behaviour. Alcohol had no effects on performance. Conclusion: The results of the study do not give any clear indication that persons who use prescribed medication with benzodiazepines would constitute a notable traffic safety problem.