Between September and November 1993, SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research and 52 police control teams, conducted a roadside survey. The aim was to establish the motorists' alcohol consumption in nine out of twelve Dutch provinces: Groningen, Friesland, Flevoland, Overijssel, Gelderland, Utrecht, North and South Holland, and North Brabant. The study was carried out on Friday and Saturday nights. The study represents a continuation of the nationwide studies into drink driving habits which were carried out between the years 1971 and 1992. The 1993 sample includes 13,443 motorists. The 1993 study showed that the number of motorists with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.5 promille had hardly changed: 4.2% in the year 1993 versus 4.0% in the year 1992. The highest percentages of driving under the influence of alcohol were measured: (1) amongst men aged between 35 and 50 years; (2) in municipalities with more than 100, 000 inhabitants; (3) in the provinces of North and South Holland; and (4) during Friday nights. No major changes have taken place since the 1992 measurements. Of the group of heavy drinkers (with a BAC of equal to or greater than 0.8 promille), almost half were travelling from a public place.
Abstract