A questionnaire was administered to 765 rheumatoid arthritic, 715 tuberculous, and 1050 psychiatric outpatients concerning their use of alcohol and drugs, driving habits, and traffic accident involvement. The same questionnaire was administered to 587 controls. The driving populations of all groups were matched as to their age, and living district. The main finding of the study was that, as the traffic exposure was controlled, the non-drug treated patients were not involved in accidents more often than the controls. In the psychiatric out-patient group, drug use was linked with an increased accident rate. Heavy use of alcohol was linked with increased traffic exposure in the present study. The combined use of alcohol and drugs tended to increase one's involvement in accidents.
Abstract