Citation

Mucha D, Lignitz E. Blutalkohol 1998; 35(5): 353-365.

Affiliation

17489 Greifswald, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Statistical analysis were carried out involving 48 921 traffic offences committed under the influence of alcohol which were registered at the institute for forensic medicine in Greifswald for selected years from 1976 to 1992.6.5 % of all traffic offences committed under the influence of alcohol occurred with the participation of people with a BAC level of 3.0 mg/g or higher. This extraordinarily high quota correlates with the regional drinking habits in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This, in turn speaks for the close link between drinking problems and the participation in road traffic under the influence of alcohol. Both participation in road traffic and involvement in accidents while heavily under the influence of alcohol have increased during the period of oberservation. The observed development took a rapid course after the year 1989. The tendency was a consequence of rising motorisation, in particular the increased use of private motor cars. The results obtained by this study do not prove a significantly increased occurrence of fatal road accidents due to the participation of people heavily under the influence of alcohol. Apart from motor cyclists, non motorised participants in road traffic such as cyclists and pedestrians were part of the group most often involved in fatal road accidents. This indicates a high potential of endangering road traffic safety by the above mentioned groups when under the influence of alcohol. Most of the offenders were male and were within the fourth decade of their age.