ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG VEHICULAR OCCUPANTS INJURED IN CRASHES

Admission blood alcohol levels (BAL) were obtained in 111 adult passenger/driver pairs injured in vehicular crashes. Drinking patterns were studied, including the influence of the sex of the occupants on alcohol consumption. Alcohol was not a factor in 44 of the crashes. In 48 of 62 crashes (77%), the driver was either the sole drinker or had a higher BAL than the passenger. In five crashes, the passenger was the only drinker. Female drivers were drinking 40% of the time, compared to 60% of male drivers. Overall, 77.4% of the drinking drivers had a BAL of greater than or equal to 100 mg/100 ml. When vehicular occupants were of the same sex, as opposed to both sexes, the drivers drank more frequently (62.9% vs 43.9%). In 13 of 14 cases of a drinking male driver transporting a female passenger, the female passenger had not been drinking or had done so to a lesser degree. The data indicate that educational efforts should be directed at discouraging passengers from riding with drinking drivers.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01456008
• Corporate Authors:

  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

  428 East Preston Street
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21202
• Authors:
  • Soderstrom, C A
  • Carson, S L
  • Cowley, R A
• Publication Date: 1984-5

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 269-271
• Serial:
  • Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
  • ISSN: 0145-6008
  • EISSN: 1530-0277
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1530-0277

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol use; Automobiles; Blood alcohol levels; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Gender; Injuries; Passengers; Safety programs; Social factors; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety education
• Old TRIS Terms: Alcohol education programs
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00451724
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-039 029
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 31 1985 12:00AM