Are the passengers and drivers in the same vehicle in fatal alcohol-related crashes at the same blood alcohol concentration (BAC)? if not, do the drivers or passengers have a higher BAC? Are there differences by gender? Using previous accident data, DWI convictions, and moving violations, do the drivers or passengers have better driving records? For this study, 577 passenger/driver pairs were analysed, using Fatal Accident Report System (FARS) data and New Jersey State Division of Motor vehicles driving records for the years 1985-1992, The primary study group comprised 347 adult pairs, in which one or both had consumed alcohol. A comparison group consisted of 230 zero BAC passenger/driver pairs. Age, gender and driving history were analysed for differences between drivers and passengers and between alcohol-using pairs and sober pairs. Passengers tended to have lower BACs than drivers. Both passengers and drivers on average are above the legal limit, 0.10 in New Jersey. Passengers were twice as likely not to be drinking (42%) as drivers (20%). Women had as high a BAC as men, whether drivers or passengers - with one exception. Based on a small subset of the data (n=10 pairs). when women ride with women, a reversal occurs, and the passengers have a higher BAC than the drivers. Men are more likely to drive than women. Women comprised a small proportion of the study subjects (18% vs, 82%). Drivers were younger than passengers by three years (27 vs. 30). The alcohol-related crash group, however, was almost ten years younger than the non-drinking group. There were more men in the alcohol-related group, and their crashes were more likely to occur on weekends. The non-drinking crash group had more females, and the weekday distribution of crashes was more random. The drinking crash group had poorer driving histories than the non-drinking crash group. A small subset of driver-passenger pair driving histories were compared (N=76). Passengers were more likely to have a valid license that drivers. Passengers had more previous DWIs and crashes than drivers. Passengers and drivers had a comparable number of traffic violations. (Author/publisher)
Abstract