Citation

Eggleton MG. Br. Med. J. BMJ 1960; 1(5178): 1051-1052.

Affiliation

Department of Physiology, University College of London, London, UK

Copyright

(Copyright © 1960, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Opinion is divided as to the proportion of accidents which can be ascribed to alcohol, and, if the object of legislation is to make the roads safer, disqualification would seem to be the obvious penalty for dangerous driving, whatever its cause. If, on balance, alcohol is considered so important a contributory factor as to merit special attention and the breathalyser is to be used in its detection, a fixed limit of 50 mg./ 100 ml. is not practicable; for the accuracy of the instrument is only +/-25 mg./100 ml. at the 95% confidence limits. Thus, 50 mg./ 100 ml. reported by the breathalyser would represent values down to 25 mg./100 ml. in nearly half the subjects tested, while five in every 100 might be below 25 or above 75 mg./ 100 ml. Motorists must either forgo alcohol altogether and the instrument be used in a qualitative manner, or some higher fixed limit be set.