HUNGOVER DRIVERS SHOW IMPAIRMENT

Even after all the alcohol in their systems has been absorbed, drivers who are suffering from hangovers show a lessened quality in their driving performances, according to a study carried out by the National Swedish Road and Traffic Research Institute. Results showed that impairment of driving performance is evident well into the next day even though all alcohol has been metabolized. Participants in the test were asked to drive a car at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour through a series of cones. The test put heavy demands on attention, reaction time, precision and coordination. The number of cones knocked down was used as a measure of coordination. The participants were motivated by receiving a payment of US$4.00, from which deductions were made according to the number of cones knocked down. The night before the test, the drivers participated in a drinking party, during which a free and ample supply of food and alcoholic beverages was provided. After eight hours in bed, the subjects were awakened, and as soon as their blood alcohol concentration was down to zero, they took the test for the first time. Three hours later the same driving tests were repeated. The results showed that all 22 subjects hit more cones in the hungover state than they did in their normal condition. The average decrease in performance was approximately 20 percent. (Author)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/25073860
• Corporate Authors:

  International Road Federation

  525 School Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20024
• Publication Date: 1982-9

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 10-11
• Serial:
  • World Highways/Routes du Monde
  • Volume: 23
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: Route One Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 0964-4598
  • Serial URL: http://www.worldhighways.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Driver performance; Drivers; Driving tests; Impaired drivers; Personnel performance; Physiological aspects
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver impairment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00369221
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 1983 12:00AM