This paper examines the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 257 (36.4 percent) of all drivers and 313 (30.2 percent) of all pedestrians killed during the years 1976-1980 in Israel. The evidence showed that the BAC exceeded 50 mg percent in 36 (14 percent) of the drivers and 42 (13.4 percent) of the pedestrians investigated. None of the 39 women drivers killed had BAC greater than 50. Of autopsied drivers (n = 29) and pedestrians (n = 27) killed in accidents occurring between 10 pm and 5 am, 16 (55.2 percent) and 16 (59.3 percent) respectively were found to have BAC greater than 50. Of 61 drivers killed in one car collisions, 18 (29.5 percent) had BAC greater than 50, as opposed to 17 (9.2 percent) in the remaining 183 drivers killed in 2 car accidents. While biases associated with autopsy consent may have been present, the data, together with information on increasing numbers of alcoholics presenting for treatment, indicate that driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a public health problem in Israel, requiring urgent action to abort the toll deaths and injury. (Secondary source).
Abstract