ALCOHOL AND PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES: A STUDY OF FATAL PEDESTRIAN COLLISIONS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS THE EVALUATION OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, IN WHICH KNOWN AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL WERE PRESENT IN THE BLOOD OF THE PEDESTRIAN, FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING POSSIBLE COUNTERMEASURES FOR THE REDUCTION OF THE COLLISIONS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS KILLED IN THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO FROM JANUARY 1, 1967, THROUGH AUGUST 31, 1971, WAS 248. FIFTY-NINE WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 16; THEREFORE, NO TESTS WERE MADE TO DETERMINE BALS. FORTY-FIVE WERE NOT TESTED AS THEY DIED MORE THAN 12 HOURS AFTER THE COLLISION, AND NO ACCURATE BALS COULD BE OBTAINED. THE CORONOR'S OFFICE CONDUCTED BLOOD ALCOHOL TESTS ON 144 OF THESE PEDESTRIANS; 94 SHOWED NEGATIVE RESULTS (ALTHOUGH FOUR REVEALED BARBITUATE LEVELS). FIFTY TESTS PRODUCED POSITIVE BALS, AND IT WAS THESE 50 WHICH WERE USED FOR THIS STUDY. THE MOST STARTLING FACT REVEALED BY THIS STUDY WAS THE APPALLING LACK OF INFORMATION AND RESEARCH AVAILABLE REGARDING DRINKING PEDESTRIANS. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT FACTORS REVEALED BY THIS STUDY WERE THE FOLLOWING: (1) NO COLLISION STUDIED OCCURRED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS; (2) THIRTY PERCENT OF THE CASE GROUP WERE MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 29 AND 70 YEARS WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING HEAVILY; (3) MANY OF THE COUNTERMEASURES PROPOSED BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY; (4) THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FATAL COLLISIONS OCCURRED ON FREEWAYS AND HIGHWAYS WHERE THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO LIGHTING AND WHERE, ON FREEWAYS, PEDESTRIANS ARE PROHIBITED BY LAW; (5) SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT OF THE DRIVERS INVOLVED WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT OR LESS THAN THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT AT THE TIME OF THE COLLISION; (6) NO 2 FATAL COLLISIONS OCCURRED AT THE SAME LOCATION; (7) SIXTY PERCENT OF THE COLLISIONS STUDIED INVOLVED PEDESTRIANS WALKING OUTSIDE MARKED OR UNMARKED CROSSWALKS; AND (8) OF THOSE PEDESTRIANS STUDIED, 78 PERCENT HAD BALS OF 0.10 PERCENT OR HIGHER AND 66 PERCENT HAD BALS OF 0.15 PERCENT OR HIGHER. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT COUNTERMEASURES RECOMMENDED IN THIS REPORT INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXTENSIVE DETOXIFICATION AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM AND A REVISION OF STATE AND LOCAL LAWS DEALING WITH THE DRINKING PEDESTRIAN WHO IS FOUND TO BE THE CAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  San Diego, California Eng Dept

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Marsden, W E
• Publication Date: 1972-1-22

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 49 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Fatalities; Pedestrians; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224202
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 17 1973 12:00AM