NATION IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Cocaine Use Cited in Traffic Deaths

Of the 643 people killed in New York City traffic accidents from 1984 through 1987, 18.2% had used cocaine within 48 hours of the accident, according to a study. Researchers said that of those 643, blood-alcohol and cocaine tests were available for 378 drivers, and 56% had used one or both. Dr. Peter M. Marzuk and his colleagues at Cornell University Medical College in New York City and at the New York City medical examiner’s office studied the records of 905 traffic fatalities. Their findings were reported in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.