Study Shows Drug Use Linked to Aviation Accidents
A new government-funded study shows that drug tests of airline employees are three times more likely to come back positive after a crash than when testing is done at random times, according to Reuters. The study proves that drug violations by employees are connected with the risk of aviation accidents.
The study examined almost 5,000 drug tests taken by employees after accidents from 1995 to 2005. Those results were compared to more than a million random drug tests. After an aviation accident, about 18 out of 1,000 employees tested positive, whereas random testing found only six out of every 1,000 tested positive.
The good news is that results show that drug use among the flight crew is very rare. Only five out of every 10,000 random tests turned up positive. After accidents, less than five tests out of every 1,000 were positive for illegal drug use. The study concluded that one out of every 100 aviation accidents may be attributable to illegal drugs.
The study’s author believes that the very low rates of drug use in the airline industry are partially attributable to the random drug testing programs of the airlines. The authors of the study noted that some illegal drugs can be detected days or weeks after use, so just because an employee tested positive doesn’t mean the drugs were taken on the day of the accident.
Airlines and private pilots have a responsibility to keep their passengers safe. If airline personnel use illegal drugs, airlines can be held responsible for any injuries or damages caused by those actions. If you have been injured in a plane crash in Missouri, contact Missouri aviation accident attorney John Page at Page Law. Call today at 314-322-8515 to learn more.
