ALCOHOLISM, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND STRESS IN 96 DRIVERS CAUSING FATAL ACCIDENTS
SURVIVING AND DECEASED DRIVERS RESPONSIBLE FOR 96 FATAL ACCIDENTS DURING A 38-MONTH PERIOD IN WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN, AND A LIKE NUMBER OF MATCHED CONTROLS WERE EVALUATED TO DETERMINE THE PREVALENCE OF ALCOHOLISM, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, AND SOCIAL STRESS, AS WELL AS OTHER MEDICAL AND SOCIAL VARIABLES. THIRTY-SIX OF THE 96 FATALITY DRIVERS AND THREE OF THE CONTROL DRIVERS WERE CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS. IN ADDITION, 11 FATALITY DRIVERS AND SIX CONTROL DRIVERS WERE CLASSIFIED AS "FREQUENT, HIGH QUANTITY USERS" OF BEVERAGE ALCOHOL. THE 96-DRIVER FATALITY GROUP DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY IN MANY RESPECTS FROM THE CONTROL GROUP. THE 96 FATALITY DRIVERS AVERAGED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PREVIOUS ACCIDENTS (1.2 VERSUS 0.8) AND MOVING VIOLATIONS (3.1 VERSUS 1.7) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP, EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (41 PERCENT VERSUS 17 PERCENT) AND SOCIAL STRESS (52 PERCENT VERSUS 18 PERCENT), AND INCLUDED MORE LOW-SOCIAL-CLASS PERSONS (76 PERCENT VERSUS 54 PERCENT) AND FEWER HIGHER-SOCIAL-CLASS PERSONS (5 PERCENT VERSUS 29 PERCENT) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE 36 ALCOHOLIC FATALITY DRIVERS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY OVERREPRESENTED IN FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ONLY ONE VEHICLE AND IN THOSE OCCURING AT NIGHT. IN ADDITION, THEY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PREVIOUS ACCIDENTS, SERIOUS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (69 PERCENT VERSUS 25 PERCENT) AND SOCIAL STRESS (72 PERCENT VERSUS 42 PERCENT) THAN THE 60 NONALCOHOLIC FATALITY DRIVERS. /AUTHORS/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 14, No 1, PP 1-10
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Authors:
- SELZER, M L
- Publication Date: 1969-1
Media Info
- Serial:
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alcoholism; Alternatives analysis; Crash rates; Drivers; Fatalities; High risk drivers; Psychological aspects; Social factors
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00222965
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Mar 9 1970 12:00AM