This study is a part of an integrated European Union (EU) project DRUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines). The present study described killed drivers impaired by alcohol (n=211) or legal (prescribed) medicines (n=46) and compared their accidents with those of non-impaired killed drivers (n=689). The main aim of the study was to estimate the relative risk of crash responsibility in motor vehicle accidents of impaired and matched non-impaired killed drivers. Relative risk for crash responsibility was studied in four different exposed groups compared to their matched non-exposed groups. The exposures were: alcohol in collision accidents in which a driver was killed (41 exposed and 41 non-exposed killed drivers), alcohol in all accidents in which a driver was killed (75 exposed and 75 non-exposed killed drivers), medicine in collision accidents in which a driver was killed (23 exposed and 23 non-exposed killed drivers), and medicine in all accidents in which a driver was killed (28 exposed and 28 non-exposed killed drivers). The study utilized the database of Traffic Accident Investigation Teams in Finland from the period of 2002 to 2006 (1,108 killed drivers). About 29 percent of all killed drivers had alcohol and 9 percent had some legal medicine in their blood at the time of the accident. Most alcohol-impaired drivers were heavily drunk: 77 percent of them had a blood alcohol content [BAC] of 1.2 ‰ or more. Drink-drivers were more often male, and younger, than sober drivers. Drink-drivers had single-vehicle accidents more often than sober drivers, and their accidents more often occurred during the evening and at night. Vehicle handling errors, anticipating errors, and suicides, were more typical risk factors for drink-drivers’ accidents than for sober drivers’ accidents. 93 percent of drink-drivers were the most responsible party compared to 68 percent of sober drivers in collision accidents (OR 6.6, 95% Cl 1.8 — 31.7). Considering all accidents, the figures were 97 percent compared to 72 percent (OR 16.7, 95% Cl 4.4 — 110.8), and drivers under 36 years were the most responsible party more often than drivers 36 years and older. Compared to killed drivers with no medicine in their blood, those with medicine were typically middle-aged, were more often suffering from some chronic disease, and were more often tired at the time of the accident. 87 percent of drivers with medicine in their blood were recorded as the most responsible party in collision accidents compared to 52 percent of non-medicine drivers (OR 9.5, 95% Cl 2.0 — 72.5). Considering all accidents, the figures were 89 percent compared to 50 percent (OR 10.4, 95% Cl 2.2 — 75.4). The present results concerning the effect of medicine on crash responsibility should be treated with caution for several reasons. Firstly, the number of studied drivers was low. Secondly the recorded medicines included a variety of medicines at a variety of concentration levels. Further, it was not possible to differentiate the role of background diseases from the role of medicine in the analysis of crash responsibility. (Author/publisher) This document is available at https://www.bast.de/Druid/EN/Home/home_node.html
Abstract