The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), in partnership with Desjardins Insurance, has launched a Drug-Impaired Driving Learning Centre (DIDLC) available in both official languages. The Centre is a web-based resource designed to share the latest research about the problem, increase awareness, and inform the development of effective strategies to tackle it. According to TIRF’s National Fatality Database, 44.5% of drivers killed in road crashes tested positive for drugs in 2013; a larger proportion than those drivers testing positive for alcohol (31.6%). Whereas young drivers were more likely to test positive for marijuana, older drivers were more likely to test positive for prescription drugs.

Drug-impaired driving has become a top priority among governments, law enforcement, and other road safety stakeholders in the past few years. Increases in the proportion of drivers who self-report driving within two hours of consuming drugs, combined with increases in the proportion of drivers killed in road crashes who tested positive for drugs, warrant attention and concern. Public awareness of the impairing effects of many drugs is quite low, and strategies to reduce the prevalence of this problem are much needed.

TIRF created the DIDLC to support the efforts of governments and road safety stakeholders to prevent and reduce drug-impaired driving. This comprehensive resource contains several modules and is structured in a user-friendly, accessible, question and answer format. It also includes a variety of fact sheets that can be used by health professionals, teachers, parents and teens to increase knowledge and awareness about drug-impaired driving. The resource can be accessed at www.druggeddriving.tirf.ca or www.druggeddriving.tirf.ca/fr/ to access the French site.

TIRF extends their appreciation to Desjardins for their support to make this project possible.