Citation

Clayton AB. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1973; 17: 340-350.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1973, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Using data from police and coroner's records, a study was undertaken of all adult pedestrians who died in road accidents in Birmingham, U.K. during the period 1970-72. Blood alcohol levels (BALs) were available for the 90 pedestrians who died within 12 hours of the accident. In 63 (70%) cases, the pedestrians had negative BALs. Of the 30% who had been drinking, two-thirds had BALs in excess of 0.08% (the legal limit for drivers in the U.K.) and one- third had BALs in excess of 0.15%. Accidents involving drinking pedestrians occurred most frequently late at night and at weekends. The presence of alcohol occurred significantly more often amongst men, pedestrians aged 15-44, single and divorced persons, and those with partly skilled or unskilled occupations. Comparisons made with available U.S. data have suggested that, although the incidence of alcohol among pedestrians in the U. K. tends to be lower, the other relationships tend to be similar in both countries.