Accident Vulnerability and Blood Alcohol Concentrations of Drivers by Demographic Characteristics
1968; Volume: 29; Issue: S4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.15288/qjsas.1968.s4.034
ISSN1946-7222
Autores Tópico(s)Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
ResumoAccident-vulnerability (a-v) ratios of 9353 drivers involved in accidents and of 8008 time- and space-matched control drivers in Grand Rapids, Mich., were calculated by dividing the percentage of accident drivers by the percentage of control drivers in each category studied. Drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (bacs) of 0.01 to 0.03% had slightly lower a-v ratios (0.87) than those with zero bac ( 0.94). A-v ratios rose from 1.01 at bac of 0.04%, to 1.81 at bac of 0.09%, then increased sharply to 5.36 at bacs of 0.10–0.14% and to 32.00 at bacs of 0.25% and over. Women had slightly higher a-v ratios than men (1.07 vs 0.98). The a-v ratios decreased from 2.50 among men aged under 18, to 1.56 among those 18–19, 1.26 among those 20–24, and 0.94 among those 25–34. Men aged 25 to 69 all had below average a-v ratios (0.81 ), compared with 1.93 in men aged 70 and over. Women showed the same basic pattern by age but their a-v ratios rose above 1.00 at age 55. Men aged 25 to 54 constituted only 36% of accident drivers and 47% of controls with zero bac, but 61% of accident drivers and 82% of controls with bacs of 0.10% and over. On the other hand, men aged under 20 constituted 15% of accident drivers and 8% of controls with zero bac but only 2% of accident drivers and none of the controls among those with bacs of 0.10% and over. Few women and few drivers aged over 69 had high bacs. Men aged 55 to 69 had lower a-v ratios at bacs of 0.10-0.04 than at zero bac, but men aged 18 to 19 and 70 to 74 had a-v ratios Ph times as high at bacs of 0.01-0.04% as at zero bac, while the a-v ratios of men under 18 and over 75 were 3 times as high at the 0.01-0.04% bac range as at zero bac. Injuries occurred in 11% of the accident drivers with zero and 0.01–0.04% bacs, in 14% of those with 0.05%–0.09% bacs and in 20% of those with bacs of 0.10% and over. Between 12 and 16% of accidents among all age-sex categories resulted in injuries, but only between 9 and 13% of those with zero bac. Of the 21 drivers involved in fatal accidents, 43% were aged under 25, compared to 33% of all accident drivers and 22% of controls; 3 were aged 65 and over. bacs were obtained from 15 of the drivers involved in fatal accidents: 8 had positive bacs; 13 were either aged under 25 or had positive bacs. Among men aged 45 to 64, 4% of accident drivers and 4% of controls with zero bac were divorced and separated, compared with 24% of accident drivers and 33% of controls with bacs of 0.10% and over. Unmarried men constituted 14% of accident drivers and 9% of controls with zero bac, but 38% of accident drivers and 53% of controls with bacs of 0.10% and over. Similar but smaller differences were found in men aged 25 to 44. The a-v ratio of unskilled and semiskilled men aged 25 to 64 was 1.24, compared to 0.69 of professional-executive-upper-white-collar men. Negroes had higher a-v ratios than Whites in almost all occupational and educational categories. Low-prestige occupational groups were overrepresented and high-prestige occupational groups underrepresented among drivers with positive bacs. Non-Whites constituted 9% of accident drivers and 7% of controls with zero bac, but 28% of both accident drivers and controls with bacs of 0.10% and over. Differences in a-v ratios by marital status, occupation and race were much smaller than differences in bac distributions. Other studies of drivers involved in fatal accidents are reviewed. The data suggest that most such drivers are either aged under 25 or over 64, or have high bacs. Most pedestrians killed in automobile accidents are either children or elderly persons, or are intoxicated. It is suggested that to reduce fatal accidents, research should be focused on these specific groups. Drunken driving is related to alienation from social ties and societal norms, frequently manifested by alcoholism and irresponsible behavior.
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