NCJ Number
55005
Date Published
1978
Length
20 pages
Annotation
RESEARCH ON ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, DRUNKEN DRIVERS, BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVELS, ATTITUDES TOWARD DRUNKEN DRIVERS, AND RISKS OF DETECTION IN DENMARK, FINLAND, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN IS REPORTED.
Abstract
A 1965-1966 INVESTIGATION BY THE POLICE IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, FOUND THAT ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF DRIVERS ENTERING POLICE RECORDS WERE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AT THE TIME OF DRIVING. IN ABOUT HALF OF ALL CASES, PERSONAL INJURIES HAD BEEN INFLICTED, AND SOMEONE HAD BEEN KILLED IN APPROXIMATELY 3 PERCENT OF ALL CASES. WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, DRIVERS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL WERE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCIDENT IN WHICH THEY WERE INVOLVED. ON THE BASIS OF THIS INVESTIGATION AND OTHERS, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT ALCOHOL PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS LEADING TO PERSONAL INJURIES AND THAT IT IS OFTEN THE INTOXICATED PERSON WHO RECEIVES THE INJURY. STUDIES DEALING WITH THE QUESTION OF HIDDEN DRUNKEN DRIVING INDICATE THAT ALCOHOL PROBLEMS ARE PREVALENT, PARTICULARLY AMONG THOSE WITH PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING. WHEN THE BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION (BAC) REACHES 1.0 PRO MILLE, POLICE INTERVENTION IS FREQUENT. IN STUDIES OF ATTITUDES TOWARD DRUNKEN DRIVING, THERE IS A CLEAR CONNECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE'S PERCEPTIONS OF DRUNKEN DRIVING AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY CONSUME ALCOHOL; PEOPLE WITH A HEAVY CONSUMPTION HAVE A MORE TOLERANT ATTITUDE TOWARD DRUNKEN DRIVING. A RESEARCH PROJECT UNDERTAKEN IN FINLAND IN 1968 HYPOTHESIZED THAT DRUNKEN DRIVERS ARE MORE ASOCIAL THAN OTHER MOTORISTS AND THAT THEY DIFFER FROM OTHER MOTORISTS IN RELATION TO ALCOHOL. DATA ON PERSONS PROSECUTED IN 1958, 1960, AND 1961 SHOWED THAT DRUNKEN DRIVERS HAD MORE CONVICTIONS AND MORE ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS IN GENERAL THAN OTHER MOTORISTS. THE PROJECT FINDINGS ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT VARIOUS COURT DIVISIONS FOLLOWED DIFFERENT SENTENCING PRACTICES. OTHER STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN FINLAND THAT DEAL WITH TRENDS IN THE INCIDENCE OF DRUNKEN DRIVING OFFENSES, THE SEVERITY OF PENALTIES, UNREPORTED CRIME, THE IMPACT OF A STRIKE AGAINST THE SALE OF ALCOHOL ON DRUNKEN DRIVING OFFENSES, AND STATISTICS COLLECTED BY POLICE AND THE INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI REGARDING ALCOHOL AS A CAUSE OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND BLOOD ALCOHOL EXAMINATIONS. IN NORWAY, NUMEROUS INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION BETWEEN DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. A MAJOR PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INVESTIGATIONS, HOWEVER, IS THAT POLICE HAVE NO ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO TAKE BLOOD SPECIMENS FROM DRIVERS INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS. STUDIES OF SELF-REPORTED CRIME AND THE EXTENT OF HIDDEN DRUNKEN DRIVING SHOW THAT THERE IS A CLEAR TENDENCY TO UNDERESTIMATE HOW MUCH AN INDIVIDUAL HAS TO DRINK IN ORDER TO REACH A BAC OF 0.5 PRO MILLE. NO INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN AIMED DIRECTLY AT ASCERTAINING THE RISK OF DETECTION FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING IN NORWAY, ALTHOUGH STUDIES HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT TO EVALUATE CHARACTERISTICS OF DRUNKEN DRIVERS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD DRUNKEN DRIVING. IN SWEDEN, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS HAS BEEN STUDIED IN LABORATORY TESTS, FIELD STUDIES, AND ANALYSES OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. OTHER RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO EXPLORE THE EXTENT OF SELF-REPORTED DRUNKEN DRIVING CASES AND HIDDEN DRUNKEN DRIVING, RISKS OF DETECTION, CHARACTERISTICS OF DRUNKEN DRIVERS, AND ATTITUDES TOWARD DRUNKEN DRIVING. OFFICIAL STATISTICS IN SWEDEN PRESENT DATA ON THE NUMBER OF DRUNKEN DRIVING OFFENSES KNOWN TO THE POLICE, THE NUMBER OF PERSONS CONVICTED OF DRUNKEN DRIVING, TYPES OF SENTENCES IMPOSED, THE NUMBER OF RECIDIVISTS, AND NUMBER OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. REFERENCES BY COUNTRY ARE LISTED. (DEP)