In recent years, unfortunately, you regularly read that the use of nitrous oxide has played a role in traffic accidents, more than once with fatal consequences. Reports from NOS show that no fewer than 1,800 traffic accidents have taken place in the past three years in which nitrous oxide played a role.
We are talking about nitrous oxide that is used as a drug and not about its application as ‘nos’ or ‘nitro’ which is used in tuning land to give your car a temporary boost of power. Based on an inventory by the police, NOS writes that almost 1,800 traffic accidents have taken place in the past three years in which the use of drugs played a role. Of these, 63 had a fatal outcome. The use of laughing gas was found in 362 accidents resulting in serious injuries.
In the first ten months of this year, laughing gas was reported to have been used in 595 traffic accidents. In the whole of 2020, this number was no less than 712. The alarming number of 1,800 traffic accidents is independent of the number of traffic incidents involving nitrous oxide. According to the NOS, there were more than 3,500 in the first ten months of this year alone. This concerns, for example, unsafe driving behavior and driving without a valid driver’s license. Because there are currently no blood or saliva tests to demonstrate the use of nitrous oxide, it is difficult to say, according to the police, whether nitrous oxide was also the direct cause of the accidents and incidents.
The use of nitrous oxide as a drug is not yet illegal. There would be a national ban on the recreational use of nitrous oxide from January 1, 2021, but that is still not in effect. However, several municipalities have introduced local nitrous oxide bans. Youth organization TeamAlert tries to combat laughing gas in the car by young people with the campaign Ride Balloon Free.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl