In 1985, at the request of the police, 259 consecutive, young drivers (under 20 years of age) were examined at the department of forensic medicine, university of helsinki. A random sample of 186 drivers served as a control. At the medico-legal examination, the drivers were interviewed about social background, details of the actual drunken driving offence, and general driving habits. The profiles gathered differed in many respects significantly between young and adult driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders. A nonchalant attitude towards driving after consumption of alcohol, associated with a spontaneous driving offence and deliberate risk-taking with alcohol-impaired friends, was the characteristic profile of young DWI offenders. This is the most important challenge for various programmes of countermeasures. (A)
Samenvatting