{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T06:04:43Z","timestamp":1784268283999,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780272000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Motor vehicle fatalities continue to be a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Beginning in 2019, there was a steady uptick in traffic fatalities nationally, which peaked in 2021. The state of Connecticut has experienced similar trends with increases in traffic fatalities over the last several years. The focus of this review was to evaluate drug positivity in traffic-related fatalities that occurred in Connecticut between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2024. Cases related to traffic fatalities were identified by the state\u2019s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Deaths of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians were used for the data set. A total of 1,816 fatal motor vehicle incidents were reviewed. Of these, 312 cases lacked toxicology results, and 5 cases had testing canceled; both were excluded from substance-related analyses. Among the remaining 1,499 cases with available toxicological data, 1,084 (72%) had at least one positive toxicology finding. Drug positivity was identified in 75% (710 of 948) of driver fatalities, 66% (125 of 188) of passenger fatalities, and 67% (221 of 327) of pedestrian fatalities. The most frequently encountered drugs across all three classes of decedents were ethanol, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, and fentanyl. These findings underscore the pervasive role of drugs and alcohol across all categories of traffic-related deaths and highlight the ongoing need for preventive strategies, toxicology testing, and targeted public safety interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkag055","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T06:05:50Z","timestamp":1782713150000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Drug detection in traffic-related fatalities in Connecticut (2020\u20132024)"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"50","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4685-9155","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amanda L A","family":"Mohr","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Forensic Science Research and Education at the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation , Horsham, PA 19044,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James R","family":"Gill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Office of the Chief Medical Examiner , Farmington, CT 06032,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2400-4711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Barry K","family":"Logan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Forensic Science Research and Education at the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation , Horsham, PA 19044,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"NMS Labs , Horsham, PA 19044,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"837","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm7126a1","article-title":"Motor vehicle crash deaths\u2013United States and 28 other high-income countries, 2015 and 2019","volume":"71","author":"Yellman","year":"2022","journal-title":"MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B2","author":"Stewart","year":"2023"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B3","author":"National Center for Statistics and Analysis","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B4","author":"Savino","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B5","author":"Daou","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B6","author":"Scott-Smith B","year":"2025"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B7","author":"McCourt K.","year":"2025"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B8","author":"Berning","year":"2015"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B9","author":"National Transportation Safety Board","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B10","author":"Thomas","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkab064","article-title":"Recommenda\u00adtions for toxicological investigation of drug-impaired driving and motor vehicle fatalities-2021 update","volume":"45","author":"D\u2019Orazio","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Anal Toxicol"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B12","author":"AAFS Standards Board","year":"2021"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkaf085","article-title":"Recomm\u00adendations for Toxicological Investigation of Drug-Impaired Driving and Motor Vehicle Fatalities-2025 Update","volume":"50","author":"D\u2019Orazio","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Anal Toxicol"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"436","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkaf029","article-title":"North America laboratory survey data for drug testing in drug-impaired driving and traffic fatality investigations","volume":"49","author":"D\u2019Orazio","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Anal Toxicol"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"92","DOI":"10.1097\/PAF.0000000000000887","article-title":"Are postmortem cannabinoid concentrations forensically reliable?","volume":"45","author":"Kacinko","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am J Forensic Med Pathol"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"641","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkae073","article-title":"Four-year evaluation of drug-impaired driving drug concentrations","volume":"48","author":"Cieri","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Anal Toxicol"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B17","author":"Mohr","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026071701164713000_bkag055-B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"202","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm7006a4","article-title":"Trends and geographic patterns in drug and synthetic opioid overdose deaths - 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