Pedestrians who had been drinking make up half of all adult pedestrian crash fatalities. About one-third of all adult pedestrian victims were at Blood Alcohol Contents (BACs) of .15% or more (NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1984-1993). This study examined racial/ethnic patterns of involvement in fatal crashes, then conducted focus group testing with members of at-risk minority populations to study cultural factors which might affect the alcohol-pedestrian problem and to study how countermeasures should be targeted for greatest effectiveness. Racial data were obtained for all 1987-89 FARS data and for one to 12 years of FARS data for seven states or state subsets. Analyses showed three specific groups with pedestrian-alcohol fatality risks as high or higher than the population as a whole: Black adults ages 25 and older, Hispanic adult males ages 15 and older, and Native American adults ages 15 and older. Fourteen focus group discussions were conducted with blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Results were analysed for cultural patterns of alcohol use and abuse, likely countermeasure mechanisms, and comments and suggestions on 28 specific countermeasure themes. Alcohol-fatality rates and population values were calculated for 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 74 metropolitan areas. Recommendations were made for possible NHTSA follow-on countermeasure implementation tests. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting