Australian studies of alcohol involvement in pedestrian crashes are reviewed. The paper tabulates the results of these studies with respect to distribution of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age and sex of intoxicated pedestrians, relationship between age and BAC among both males and females, time of day and day of week of crashes involving intoxicated pedestrians, pedestrian movement and pre-crash drinking patterns. Seven studies were identified. These indicated that 20 to 30 percent of pedestrian casualties had a BAC in excess of 150 mg per dL, with alcohol involvement being greater among fatalities. Some of the studies found that males comprised 60 to 70 percent of casualties with a known BAC and BAC and 80 to 90 percent of those with a BAC exceeding 150 mg per dL. Crashes occurring at night or on weekends were most likely to involve intoxicated pedestrians. Intoxicated pedestrians were hit most commonly as they crossed a road some distance from a traffic control; in those instances where the site had a traffic control, it was rarely used correctly. The paper concludes that knowledge of the characteristics of alcohol-related pedestrian crashes in Australia is inadequate; recommendations are made to address these inadequacies. (A)
Samenvatting