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Driving under the influence

In Nova Scotia, a person must be at least 16 years of age to apply for a learner’s permit. Among students 16 years of age and older, 74.1% reported having a driver’s license with an equal proportion of males and females having a license (71.6% and 76.3%, respectively).

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In 2012, 4% of students in grade 7, 9, 10 and 12 reported having driven a vehicle within an hour of consuming two or more drinks of alcohol. The drinking and driving rate among all students was 5.3% in 2007 and 6.6% in 2002. Among students in grades 10 and 12 with a driver’s license, 10% drove within an hour of consuming two or

more drinks in 2012 compared to 13.6% who reported doing so in 2007 and 14.8% in 2002. No gender or location differences were observed.

In 2012, 5.4% of students in grades 7, 9, 10 and 12 were in a motor vehicle accident with them as a driver and less than 1% of students reporting drinking and driving prior to their accident.

Table 25 shows the proportions of students who reported being a passenger in a motor vehicle with an impaired driver. In 2012, 16.8% of students were a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who was impaired, compared to 19.2% in 2007, and 22.8% in 2002. No differences were observed for gender, grade level or school location.

Table 26: Driving within one hour of cannabis use, among

students in grades 10 & 12 with a driver’s license, as percentages according to gender, grade and Shared Service Area, 2012

Among senior high students with

a driver’s license (n=963) % Overall 21.4 Gender Male 22.9 Female 20.4 Grade 10 10.1 12 26.9** Shared Service Area DHA 9 19.8

DHA 1, 2 & 3 21.1 DHA 4, 5 & 6 21.2 DHA 7 & 8 26.2

* p<0.01; ** p<0.001

Table 27: Being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by

someone who had been using cannabis among students in grades 7, 9, 10 & 12, as percentages according to gender, grade and Shared Service Area, 2012

Being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had been using

cannabis (n=3148) % Overall 32.7 Gender Male 29.4 Female 36.5 Grade 7 6.1 9 23.9** 10 37.7** 12 57.9** Shared Service Area DHA 9 33.3

DHA 1, 2 & 3 36.9 DHA 4, 5 & 6 31.7 DHA 7 & 8 28.9

* p<0.01; ** p<0.001

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In the year prior to the survey, 8.4% of students in grade 7, 9, 10 and 12 drove at least once within an hour after using cannabis.

Among senior students with a driver’s license, 21.4% drove within an hour of cannabis use, comparable to the 23.1% who reported doing so in 2007 and 25.7% in 2002 (Table 26). Male and female students were equally likely to drive after using cannabis. In grade 12, more than one in four students in the province engaged in this risky behaviour. No location differences were observed for driving under the influence of cannabis.

Table 27 shows the proportions of students who reported being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had been using cannabis. In 2012, 32.7% of students reported being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who had been using cannabis, compared to 26.2% in 2007. Students in the higher grades were more likely to report being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who had been using cannabis. Almost 60% of students in grade 12 reported this risky behaviour. No differences were observed for gender or school location.

Table 29: Alcohol-related problems or risks, as percentages, 2012 Alcohol-related problem Among all students (n=3148) % Among students who used alcohol in the previous 12 months (n=1499) %

Damaged things when drinking

11.0 22.2

Drinking caused one to injure oneself

12.5 25.1

Unplanned sex under the influence of alcohol/drugs

13.3 26.2

Drinking caused tensions or disagreement with family or friends

5.6 11.0

Cost of alcohol prevented buying other things

8.0 16.3

Consumed alcohol before or instead of breakfast

4.5 9.0

Driving under the influence of alcohol

4.0 7.9

Trouble with the police as a result of drinking

2.8 5.7

School work or exams affected by drinking

1.8 3.5

Motor vehicle accident as a driver after drinking in the previous 2 hrs.

0.4 0.6

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In the year prior to the survey, 2.9% of students in grade 7, 9, 10 and 12 drove at least once within an hour of using a prescription pain relief pill.

Among students with a driver’s license, 7.2% drove within an hour of taking a prescription pain relief pill (Table 28). Male and female students were equally likely to drive after taking a pain pill. No grade or location differences were observed for driving after taking a pain relief pill. 

Table 28: Driving within an hour after taking pain medication

among students in grades 10 & 12 with a driver’s license, as percentages according to gender, grade and Shared Service Area, 2012

Among senior high students with

a driver’s license (n=963) % Overall 7.2 Gender Male 6.3 Female 8.0 Grade 10 2.9 12 9.2 Shared Service Area DHA 9 9.1 DHA 1, 2 & 3 5.2 DHA 4, 5 & 6 6.2 DHA 7 & 8 5.8

* p<0.01; ** p<0.001

Self-reported harms

Students were asked whether they had experienced any of the 10 alcohol-related problems or risks listed in Table 29 in the prior year. Among students who used alcohol in the previous 12 months, the three most common alcohol- related problems were unplanned sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs, injuring oneself, and damaging things when drinking.

Table 31: Drug-related problems or risks, as percentages, 2012 Drug-related problem Among all students (n=3148) % Among students who used drugs in the previous

12 months (n=1252)

%

Driving under the influence of cannabis

8.4 20.4

Unplanned sex under the influence of alcohol/drugs

13.3 27.8

Drug use caused tensions or disagreement with family or friends

6.3 15.1

Cost of drugs prevented buying other things

6.6 15.9

School work or exams affected by drug use

4.6 11.1

Damaged things when using drugs

3.8 9.2

Drug use caused one to injure oneself

3.8 9.1

Trouble with the police as a result of drug use

2.0 4.8

Table 30 reports on differences in having experienced one more alcohol-related problems or risks in the past year. The proportion of students reporting one or more alcohol-related problems or risks in 2012 is about the same as that reported by students in 2002, 28.3% versus 30.5% respectively. No gender or location differences were observed for one or more alcohol-related problems. However, students in higher grades were more likely to report alcohol-related problems than those in lower grades. Among students who consumed alcohol, 55.9% indicated that they experienced alcohol-related problems in the prior year.

In addition, 9.7% of students reported 3 or more alcohol- related problems or risks (11% reported 3 or more in 2002).

Table 30: One or more alcohol-related problems or risks, among

students in grades 7, 9, 10 & 12, as percentages according to gender, grade and Shared Service Area, 2012

Among all students (n=3148) % Among students who consumed alcohol in the past 12 months (n=1499) % Overall 28.5 55.9 Gender Male 25.4 50.6 Female 31.6 60.5 Grade 7 5.0 30.9 9 22.6** 48.0 10 33.0** 56.7* 12 49.0** 62.3** Shared Service Area DHA 9 28.2 59.5 DHA 1, 2 & 3 26.6 50.1 DHA 4, 5 & 6 31.6 57.5 DHA 7 & 8 28.3 54.1 *p<0.01; ** p<0.001

Students were also asked about eight drug-related problems or risks. Among students who used drugs in the previous 12 months, the three most commonly reported problems were unplanned sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving under the influence of cannabis, and the cost of drugs prevented students from buying other things.

Table 32: One or more drug-related problems or risks, among

students in grades 7, 9, 10 & 12, as percentages according to gender, grade and Shared Service Area, 2012

Among all students (n=3148)

%

Among students who used drugs in the past 12 months (n=1252) % Overall 23.5 52.2 Gender Male 20.8 48.4 Female 26.3 55.8 Grade 7 3.9 23.4 9 17.0** 40.3* 10 24.5** 47.6** 12 44.6** 68.6** Shared Service Area DHA 9 25.3 56.0 DHA 1, 2 & 3 22.3 50.2 DHA 4, 5 & 6 22.0 49.9 DHA 7 & 8 22.3 48.1 *p<0.01; ** p<0.001

In 2012, 23.5% of students reported one or more drug- related problems. This proportion is almost identical to that reported in the 2002 survey. Among students who used drugs, 52.2% reported one or more drug-related problems or risks in the year prior to the survey. The proportion of students who reported one or more drug- related problems increased as students advanced from grade 7 to 12. No gender or location differences were observed for drug-related problems or risks.

Alcohol, Drugs &