Citation

Christophersen AS, Skurtveit S, Morland J. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 2002; 2002: 571-576.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the mortality rates and causes of death among drunken and drugged drivers followed 7,5 years after selection. The material consisted of apprehended drivers, 20-39 years old, who provided samples positive for alcohol (n=2531) or drugs other than alcohol (n=918), representing the total Norwegian national samples of these two driver categories in 1992. The mortality rate among male drunken drivers was higher compared to an age-matched Norwegian population (standardized mortality ratio, SMR=3.7 (95% Cl 2.9-4.6). The SMR for drugged drivers was, however, found to be much higher; 18.1 (14.8-21.5) for men and 27.9 (12.1- 43.7) for women, respectively. The dominant causes of death among drunken and drugged drivers were drug poisoning/overdoses, accidents and suicide. Our study showed that apprehension for drunken or drugged driving is an indicator of increased risk of future premature death among the age group 20-39 years, particularly for drugged drivers.