NCJ Number
145511
Date Published
1993
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the effect of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels on time to death and mean time to death for fatally injured drivers.
Abstract
Data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System for the years 1982-88 were analyzed. The specific variables of interest for this study were the time of the crash, injury severity for the driver, death time of the driver, age and sex of the driver, and the BAC of the driver. Findings show that significantly greater proportions of drivers with high BAC levels (0.10 g/dl or greater) died within 30 minutes of their crash compared to drivers with 0.00 g/dl and those with 0.01-0.09 g/dl. High BAC's apparently increase the probability of a crash and the probability of sustaining fatal injury and rapid death, once a crash has occurred. These findings show that the effects of alcohol-impaired driving may be even more devastating than previously thought. The findings also suggest that the prompt arrival of emergency medical personnel at the accident scene and the hospital is crucial for the survival of injured persons with high BAC levels. Emergency medical personnel should be informed of these BAC effects so they can act accordingly. Since most of the high BAC victims are involved in late night and weekend crashes, emergency medical response could be more rapid during these times. 4 tables, 4 figures, and 21 references