@article{ref1,
title="Life-threatening alcohol-related traffic crashes in adverse weather: a double-matched case-control analysis from Canada",
journal="BMJ open",
year="2019",
author="Redelmeier, Donald A. and Manzoor, Fizza",
volume="9",
number="3",
pages="e024415-e024415",
abstract="IMPORTANCE: Drunk driving is a major cause of death in North America, yet physicians rarely counsel patients on the risks of drinking and driving. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To test whether the risks of a life-threatening alcohol-related traffic crash were further accentuated by adverse weather. <br><br>DESIGN: Double matched case-control analysis of hospitalised patients. SETTING: Canada's largest trauma centre between 1 January 1995 and 1 January 2015. PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalised due to a life-threatening alcohol-related traffic crash. EXPOSURE: Relative risk of a crash associated with adverse weather estimated by evaluating the weather at the place and time of the crash (cases) compared with the weather at the same place and time a week earlier and a week later (controls). <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 2088 patients were included, of whom the majority were drivers injured at night. Adverse weather prevailed among 312 alcohol-related crashes and was significantly more frequent compared with control circumstances. The relative risk of a life-threatening alcohol-related traffic crash was 19% higher during adverse weather compared with normal weather (95% CI: 5 to 35, p=0.006). The absolute increase in risk amounted to 43 additional crashes, extended to diverse groups of patients, applied during night-time and daytime, contributed to about 793 additional patient-days in hospital and was distinct from the risks for drivers who were negative for alcohol. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Adverse weather was associated with an increased risk of a life-threatening alcohol-related traffic crash. An awareness of this risk might inform warnings to patients about traffic safety and counselling alternatives to drinking and driving.<br><br>© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2044-6055",
doi="10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024415",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024415"
}