VARIABILITY OF COLLISION INVOLVEMENT AT LOW BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS: THE GRAND RAPIDS CURVE EXPLAINED

THE CURVE FROM THE GRAND RAPIDS STUDY, SHOWING THE RELATIVE PROBABILITY OF CAUSING A COLLISION AT GIVEN ALCOHOL LEVELS, HAS CAUSED MUCH DISCUSSION AND CONTROVERSY. THE POINT OF CONTENTION IS THAT THE CURVE SHOWS THAT DRIVERS WITH BACS (BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS) OF 0.01% TO 0.03% ARE LESS LIKELY TO CAUSE A COLLISION THAN THOSE WHO HAD NOT BEEN DRINKING. THIS HAS BEEN MISINTERPRETED TO MEAN THAT DRIVERS CAN DRIVE MORE SAFELY IF THEY HAD A LITTLE TO DRINK THAN IF THEY HAD NOTHING TO DRINK. A MORE RECENT TREATMENT OF THE GRAND RAPIDS DATA SHOWS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEING INVOLVED IN COLLISIONS AT LOW BACS VARIES WIDELY OVER TIME OF DAY, AND THOSE DRIVERS WHO APPEAR TO BE INVOLVED IN FEWER COLLISIONS AT LOW ALCOHOL LEVELS TEND TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WHO HAD NOTHING TO DRINK. THEY NOT ONLY DRIVE AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY, THEY ARE ALSO MORE EXPERIENCED AT BOTH DRINKING AND DRIVING. THUS THEY STILL COULD PERFORM BETTER THAN LESS PROFICIENT DRIVERS, DESPITE DETERIORATION FROM THEIR PREDRINKING PROFICIENCY. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  Blutalkohol

  ,    
• Authors:
  • ZYLMAN, R
• Publication Date: 1972-1

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 25-32
• Serial:
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Crash rates; Driver performance; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Human characteristics; Personnel performance; Statistics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics; Interpretation
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223754
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 23 1972 12:00AM