1,600 drivers suspected of DUI, recruited from different geographical regions of Sweden, were assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Information from the police regarding where, how and when the suspects were identified and their BAC was collected. A control group of 785 drivers not suspected of DUI was also investigated. Hazardous or harmful alcohol use according to the AUDIT was four times as common among the male and ten times among the female suspected DUI's as compared to the control drivers. More than half (58%) of the suspected DUI's had such drinking problems and 18% had severe problems. More interesting was the observation that almost half (46%) of the suspects with a BAC below the Swedish legal limit of 0.2 had such problems. Using the BAC level as an instrument for identification of drinking problems in suspected DUI's has low sensitivity and specificity. The time, place and circumstances when arrested as predictors of BAC and drinking problems were analysed. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Abstract