Researchers have examined the effects of alcohol consumption on older adults’ functioning, and some have addressed alcohol’s effects on older drivers’ crash risk. Generally, the findings have shown that alcohol is less likely to be a factor in crashes for older, as compared to younger, drivers. The present research focused on filling some gaps in the research by addressing these questions: What proportion of older drivers admitted to hospitals for treatment of crash injuries has a positive (.020 grams per deciliter or higher) blood alcohol concentration (BAC)? What is the average BAC among those with positive BACs? Is the number of previous crashes similar among older drivers with and without positive BACs? Is the ratio of at-fault to not-at-fault older drivers similar between drivers with and without positive BACs? The study examined BACs of people admitted to trauma centers in Oregon over 11 years and focused on: Ascertaining the prevalence of alcohol in crash-involved older drivers; Comparing the driving records and crash culpability of older drivers with and without elevated BACs; and Comparing BAC levels of older drivers who were in traffic crashes to other reference groups: younger crash-involved drivers, and older patients admitted for fall-related injuries. For the complete report see http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/812062-BACandCrashResponsibili… (Author/publisher)
Abstract