ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS IN THE NETHERLANDS, 1950-1980

Data on changes in drinking habits are difficult to interpret because of an alteration of Article 26 of the Road Traffic Act in November 1974. One of the main changes in the Act was replacement of the expression "driving while intoxicated;" since 1974 it is a felony to drive with a BAC higher than 0.5 per mille, as is the refusal to have a blood sample taken. The official statistics of traffic offences indicate (perhaps because of the change in the road traffic act) a remarkable increase in the number of DWI convictions (211% increase between 1970 and 1978). The number of drivers who "refused to have a blood sample taken to determine BAC," an offence introduced in 1974, was 853 in 1975. This figure rose to 2482 in 1978, resulting in an increase of 191% over three years. There was also an increase in the percentage of traffic accidents in which alcohol was involved. This is evident for accidents with injuries, as well as for accidents with lethal consequences. (Author/TRRL)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Consequence of Drinking. Trends in Alcohol Problems Statistics in seven countries.
• Corporate Authors:

  Addiction Research Foundation

  33 Russel Street
  Toronto, ONo,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Ginneken, S van
  • Wal, HJ van der
  • Zwart, W de
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 71-85
• Serial:
  • Consequences of Drinking
  • Publisher: Addiction Research Foundation

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Blood alcohol levels; Blood analysis; Crash rates; Crashes; Crimes; Drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Foreign; Injuries; Intoxication; Legislation; Statistics; Traffic conviction; Traffic crashes; Traffic regulations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Convictions; Traffic laws
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Old TRIS Terms: Blood tests
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1612: Accident rate; 1553: Blood alcohol content; 1772: Driver; 2231: Drunkenness; 1602: Fatality; 2163: Injury; 1556: Legislation; 8078: Netherlands; 1516: Offence
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00395580
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM