Be extra careful this Christmas! Alcohol and drug use could increase the number of road accidents.

University of the West Indies psychiatrist Dr Jeffrey Walcott said these substances affect the ability of users to make prudent decisions.

"They affect judgement and reaction time. What happens is that the person who uses the drug while operating a motor vehicle has difficulty in assessing a situation and it affects the ability to react," Walcott said.

The psychiatrist explained that when a person's ability to assessing situations and take prudent decisions is impaired, he or she becomes vulnerable to accidents.

substance abuse

A 1999 study of 111 trauma victims who turned up at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies during a three-month period, supports Walcott's assertion about the role of alcohol and marijuana in motor-vehicle crashes.

Drs Archibald McDonald, Newton Duncan and Derek Mitchell found that patients who yielded a positive result for these substances were significantly younger than those who recorded negative readings.

The study found that 50 per cent and 55 per cent of victims of road accidents and interpersonal violence, respectively, tested positive for cannabis compared with 43 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, for alcohol.

Of 1,275 males that have been killed in crashes since 2003, 43 per cent were between the ages of 15 and 40. The 25-29 age cohort, has accounted for 136 deaths over the past six years, 23 of which took place between January 1 and September 1.