Citation

Setekleiv J, Bo O, Wickstrom E, Enoksen A, Hasvold I, Sakshaug J. J. Traffic Med. 1980; 8(2): 26-30.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The incidence and pattern of preaccident alcohol and drug consumption was explored among all categories of accident victims admitted from 1 Feb 1978 through 30 Jan 1979 to the surgical department of Rogaland Central Hospital (Norway). Blood samples were obtained from accident victims soon after their admission to the hospital. The presence of alcohol was determined by an alcoholdehydrogenase method and by parallel gas chromatographic analysis. Blood samples were screened for drugs by gas chromatography. Accidents were subdivided into five main categories: road traffic accidents; industrial accidents; home accidents; accidents occurring in the course of leisure activities; and accidents related to drowning or near drowning. Of the 80 road traffic accident victims, 22.5% had alcohol in their blood. Benzodiazepine derivatives were the most commonly found drugs in blood samples. They were detected in 66.7% of the 93 accident victims having drugs in their blood but were found in only 7.3% of road accident cases. The percentage of motor vehicle drivers having alcohol in their blood, 13.6% of four-wheeled drivers and 5% of motorcyclists, was relatively low compared to other studies conducted in Norway. It was determined that the use of diazepam may be a contributory factor in a small number of road accidents and that this risk is considerably increased if alcohol is consumed at the same time.

Language: en

Keywords

Blood alcohol levels; Traffic crashes; Crash victims; Drugs