This study describes the blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of male and female drivers in three groups: the general population of night time drivers, drivers admitted to hospital, and fatally injured drivers. BACs were obtained from: drivers tested between 10 pm and 3 am in roadside surveys conducted in Adelaide between 1981 and 1987; drivers admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital between September 1985 and July 1987; and drivers killed on South Australian roads from 1981 to 1987 inclusive. Late at night, about one fifth of female drivers and three tenths of male drivers had been drinking. For drivers of both sexes, the extent of alcohol involvement was greater among those involved in accidents and increased with the severity of injury. The proportion of women in the night time driving population increased significantly from 1981 to 1987, as did the proportion of women with BACs at or above 0.08. However, an examination of the BACs of fatally injured female drivers provided no evidence of increasing alcohol involvement over the same time period. The study demonstrates the need to include women in campaigns aimed at reducing drink driving and hence the deaths and injuries from alcohol related crashes. (Author/publisher)
Abstract