Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major cause of insecurity on the road. While only a small percentage of people drives under the influence of alcohol, alcohol is still involved in a high proportion of road accidents. DUI is estimated to be the main cause of approximately 25% of the fatalities on the European roads (SafetyNet, 2009). In Belgium the proportion of accidents that are caused by alcohol is imperfectly known due to the lack of testing of heavily injured and dead people, but is also estimated to be high. DUI is therefore the subject of much attention from the Belgian road safety authorities. In 2002 the Belgian Road Safety Institute (BRSI) got the assignment from the Federal Commission for Road Safety to set up a survey aiming at following the evolution of the behaviour of the Belgian drivers regarding DUI. A first national survey was carried out in 2003 and then repeated in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012(the results of which will be available in 2013). This article defines the methodology of the Belgian drink driving roadside survey and presents its main findings, with a focus on the most recent survey of 2009. The methodology and results of the survey were further described in a report of the Knowledge Centre of the BRSI (Riguelle & Dupont, 2012), available in French or Dutch. This publication may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.ictct.org/workshop.php?workshop_nr=35
Samenvatting