Citation

Gruener O, Jaehn R. Blutalkohol 1975; 12(6): 382-388.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1975, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Under the influence of alcohol and also in the sober state, the effect of changing visual impressions on the attention of 25 subjects was investigated. The aauthors applied a modification of the combined attention test according to Gr'uner 1955, i.e. choice reaction (measured by Bettendorff T 76) and Bourdon's cancellation test were carried out simultaneously. Color slides of attractive contents served as a means for distracting attention. The subjects in the sober state showed a statistically significant deterioration of both characteristics of attention caused by distractive visual impressions (P = 0.05). Under the influence of alcohol, performance was additionally reduced (P = 0.05). The reduction caused by alcohol plus distraction was considerably greater than the decrease of attention by distractive impressions in the sober state (P = 0.05). No significant correlation was found between the decrease of performance due to the influence of alcohol plus distraction of attention and the actual blood alcohol concentration. As to the distraction of attention caused by sexually stimulating pictures, it was found that under the influence of alcohol reaction times were significantly extended in 2 of 7 groups (P = 0.05). The average blood alcohol concentrations of these were 1.05 and 1.070/00 resp. Under the influence of alcohol, changing distractive impressions seem to cause a greater restriction of attention than they do in the sober state. Obvious consequences for traffic safety are discussed from the medical point of view.


Keywords: Driver distraction