Alcohol has been recognised as a major factor in road crashes. However, no official data are provided in Ireland to indicate what proportion of the deaths on Irish roads have alcohol as a contributory factor. Irish drivers do drink alcohol and drive. The Government’s strategy for road safety admits that the extent of the problem of drink driving has not diminished and includes legislation to implement random breath testing. The aim of this study was to identify the contribution alcohol makes to fatal road crashes in Ireland. The National Traffic Bureau of the Garda Siochana gather data on all fatal road crashes and individual paper files are compiled and kept on each fatal crash. Initial data from the scene of the crash are recorded on a form (CT68/PC.16) and further information from the Garda Siochana investigations are added to the file. Also included in the files are reports from coroners and pathologists which may or may not contain test results on the presence or absence of alcohol in blood and urine of the deceased. If available blood and urine tests taken by the Gardaí on drivers not killed in these crashes are also documented in the files. It may take some considerable time for the files to be completed and it was considered at the time of field work for this study that 2003 was the latest year where sufficient data were available in the files to complete the study. The files were examined in the offices of the National Traffic Bureau by two of the authors. The legal limit for alcohol in blood samples for driving in Ireland is 80 mg/100ml, for urine it is 107mg/100ml. The legal limit for breath testing for alcohol undertaken by the Garda Siochana is 35ug/100ml of breath. International research indicates that a person’s ability to drive is effected by alcohol if there is a level of alcohol in the blood of 20mg/100 ml or greater. In this study a crash was considered to be alcohol related if the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was >_20mg/100ml (or the equivalent in urine and breath tests) in a driver. Whether alcohol was considered to be a contributing factor in a pedestrian or cyclist death was based on their circumstances of the crash and a BAC level of 20mg/100ml or higher. The fact that a crash may be alcohol related does not indicate that other factors were not also relevant (e.g. speeding). There were 301 fatal crashes in 2003 killing 335 persons. The results of the analysis shall be described under two separate headings. Firstly, there will be a profile of the 301 crashes and a description of the role of alcohol in these crashes. This will be followed by a profile of those killed in the crashes and their alcohol levels. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting