National roadside breath test surveys have been carried out in the US in 1973 and 1986. This paper reports on the third national survey conducted in the autumn of 1996 and its relation to trends in accidents involving drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations. The methods used are described. The results are compared with those from 1973 and 1986. Overall the number of drinking drivers on US roads declined significantly between 1986 and 1996. This was principally at the lower blood alcohol concentrations however and not at the high risk levels. The trend in the number of drivers with blood alcohol concentrations at or above 0.10 has roughly paralleled the trend in the percentage of fatally-injured drivers with blood alcohol concentrations equal to or greater than 0.10.
Samenvatting