Exposure-Controlled Highway Fatality Rates: Temporal Patterns Compared to Some Explanatory Variables

• NCJ Number: 123829
• Journal: Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving Volume: 5, 6 Issue: 1, 4 Dated: (1989); (1990) Pages: ,275-285
• Author(s): R C Schwing
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The direct and synergistic effects of fatigue, circadian rhythms, sleep deprivation, and alcohol are possible contributors to accidents.

Abstract

Time-of-day patterns in vehicle occupant risk indicate that some combination of these variables contributes to the wide variations in relative risk on the highway. The pattern of accident risk is compared to alcohol consumption patterns, victim blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, and fatigue accident patterns. The congruence provides powerful evidence linking alcohol and fatigue to a dominant fraction of the highway risk. 8 figures, 14 references. (Author abstract)