Citation

de Carvalho Ponce J, Muñoz DR, Andreuccetti G, de Carvalho DG, Leyton V. Accid. Anal. Prev. 2011; 43(3): 782-787.

Affiliation

Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Av Dr. Arnaldo, 455 Sao Paulo, SP 01246-903, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.aap.2010.10.025

PMID

21376866

Abstract

AIMS: The aims of the present study were to characterize fatal traffic accident victims in a major urban center in Brazil and their association with alcohol consumption. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 907 fatal traffic accident victims in Sao Paulo, in 2005. RESULTS: Adult males between the ages of 25 and 54 represented the majority of cases with positive blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Overall, males had a higher proportion of BAC and mean BAC than females. Pedestrians, particularly those with no detectable BAC, were typically older than other victims. Most accidents (total and BAC-positive) happened on weekends between midnight and 6 a.m. Considering all victims, 39.4% were positive (BAC over 0.1g/l). When only drivers (automobile, motorcycle and bicycle) were evaluated, 42.3% had BAC over the legal limit (0.6g/l). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol is associated with nearly half of all traffic accident deaths in the city of Sao Paulo, especially for days and times associated with parties and bars (weekends between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.).

Language: en