SPOTTING THE DRUNKEN DRIVER
CORNELL AERONAUTICAL LABORATORY IS EXPERIMENTING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC DEVICE TO MEASURE THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL, EVEN IN MODERATE AMOUNTS, ON THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE DRINKER. THE DEVICE MEASURES THE UNSTEADINESS OF THE DRINKER'S EYES WHEN HE ATTEMPTS TO FIX HIS GAZE ON THE TARGET. THE DEVICE FOR MEASURING EYE UNSTEADINESS IA A PART OF A BATTERY OF NON-CHEMICAL TESTS FOR DETECTING ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION. THE OTHER INDICES BEING STUDIED ARE SCLERA VASCULARIZATION (BLOODSHOT EYES), PUPIL REACTIVITY, AND LATERAL PHORIA (THE EXTENT TO WHICH BOTH EYES CAN CONVERGE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE ON A TARGET). CURRENT SYSTEMS FOR GAUGING DRUNKENNESS, GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, ARE BASED ON TWO KINDS OF MEASUREMENTS: (1) DISTURBANCES IN THE INDIVIDUAL'S FUNCTIONING, AND (2) ESTIMATES OF THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IN THE DRIVER'S BODY. BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVELS SET BY VARIOUS STATES ARE DISCUSSED. HOWEVER, LONG BEFORE THE DRINKER REACHES THESE LEVELS, HIS DRIVING ABILITY IS AFFECTED. A BRITISH STUDY MEASURED THE INCREASE IN A DRIVER'S TRACKING OR CAR-POSITIOING ERRORS. WHEN HE HAD .02% ALCOHOL IN HIS BLOOD, HIS ERRORS INCREASED 6%. THE DEVICE FOR MEASURING EYE UNSTEADINESS IS SENSITIVE TO THESE LOWER LEVELS OF ALCOHOL INTAKE. IN ITS TEST, 80 PER CENT OF THE SUBJECTS SHOWED INCREASED EYE UNSTEADINESS AFTER TWO DRINKS, AND ALL OF THEM AFTER THREE DRINKS. THE DEVICE MAKES A PICTORIAL RECORD OF WHAT HAPPENS TO EACH OF THE DRIVER'S EYES WHEN HE ATTEMPTS TO LOOK IN A SHADOWBOX AT A TARGET LIGHT. A MOTION PICTURE CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHS THE SUBJECT'S EYES IN COLOR AT 40 FRAMES PER SECOND. THE FILMS ARE PROCESSED, THEN SCORED FOR A 4-SECOND PERIOD WHILE THE SUBJECT IS LOOKING AT EACH LIGHT. COMPARISON OF THE SUBJECT'S INVOLUNTARY EYE MOVEMENTS WITH THE LEVEL OF ALCOHOL IN HIS BODY NEEDS TO BE CORRELATED WITH ATTITUDES TOWARD DRIVING AND WITH ABILITY TO PERFORM DRIVER-TYPE TASKS TO ESTABLISH AN IMPAIRMENT SCALE BASED ON THE SUBJECT'S SCORE ON THE DEVICE.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 18, pp 8-10, 1 TAB, 3 PHOT
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Authors:
- Sussman, E D
- Publication Date: 1970
Media Info
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alcohol tests; Blood alcohol levels; Driver performance; Drivers; Drunk driving; Eye; Measuring instruments; Motion pictures; Neurology; Personnel performance; Photography; Steady state
- Old TRIS Terms: Photographic methods; Unsteady state
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220752
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: May 4 1970 12:00AM