Between September and November 1992, SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research and 40 police control teams, conducted a roadside survey in order to establish the alcohol consumption of motorists in seven out of twelve Dutch provinces: Friesland, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North and South Holland, and North Brabant. The study, which was carried out on Friday and Saturday nights, represents a continuation of the nationwide studies into drink driving habits which were carried out between the years 1971 and 1991, to determine the trend in alcohol consumption. The 1992 study showed that the number of motorists with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.5 promille had hardly changed: 4.0% in the year 1992 versus 3.9% in 1991. The number of motorists with a BAC of equal to or greater than 1.3 promille, however, had increased by one third. The highest percentages of driving under the influence were measured: (1) amongst men aged between 35 and 50 years; (2) in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants; (3) in the provinces of North and South Holland; and (4) after midnight. Of the group of heavy drinkers (with a BAC of equal to or greater than 1.3 promille), almost half were travelling from a public place.
Abstract