37 percent of young nitrous oxide users
The ‘recreational use’ of laughing gas was banned from this year, partly because of its potential dangers in traffic. Yet some young people still use laughing gas and also in traffic.
As of this year, the transport, sale and use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes were banned. Although this has resulted in a 7 percent decrease in use among young people, almost one in five young people aged 16 to 24 still use laughing gas occasionally. This is evident from figures from TeamAlert. A significant portion of them do so in the car.
No fewer than 37 percent of young nitrous oxide users say they use it in the car, although it must be said that this concerns both stationary and moving cars. 10 percent use it behind the wheel. That is of course the most worrying category. However, TeamAlert states that its use in parked cars also poses risks to road safety. “This can also lead to dangerous traffic situations, because the threshold for driving is low according to young people.”
Outgoing Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure & Water Management says he has mixed feelings about these figures: “It is good to see that nitrous oxide use has decreased since the introduction of the nitrous oxide ban. At the same time, this shows that the law is regularly violated, because it The drug is still used, even behind the wheel, which is life-threatening, as it makes it harder for you to pay attention to the road.”
TeamAlert will again campaign to reduce nitrous oxide use among young people. Harbers: “It is very important to continue to emphasize that this is a prohibited substance. It is good that TeamAlert will do that again in the coming weeks.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl