title: Alcohol and driver fatalities in Israel: an examination of the current problem.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of alcohol in driver fatalities in Israel is unknown, and monitoring blood alcohol concentration among drivers is not routine. Moreover, over the past decade, self-reported access to and consumption of alcohol in Israel has been on the rise.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To use available data to characterize alcohol-related driver fatalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of alcohol-related driver fatalities were estimated for 443 drivers, aged 17+ years, using data from Israel's National Center for Forensic Medicine for 2000-2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 8% and 17% of driver fatalities had a BAC > or = 0.05 g/dl. Most drivers with alcohol exceeding this level were males aged 21-30 years who died on weekends. Recreational and/or medicinal drugs were found in 6%-11% of driver fatalities. Mean BAC among driver fatalities with BAC > or = 0.05 g/dl was threefold higher than the legal driving limit and appears to be increasing with time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In light of the evidence suggesting an increasing mean BAC over time as well as reported increasing trends in access to alcohol and consumption, this study should serve as a basis for future research to comprehensively characterize the extent of this problem.
authors.affiliation: Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Public Health Policy, Tel Hashomer, Israel. denaj@gertner.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Dena H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: Bella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Savitsky
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zaistev
authors.forename: Jehuda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hiss
authors.forename: Kobi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peleg
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001334:Automobile Driving; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol