title: Police custody following drink-driving: a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drink-driving is a crime and traffic offences are a common cause of detention in police custody. Legal assessment of alcohol intoxication is based on breath or blood testing. We hypothesize that refusal of breath alcohol testing or inability to perform it can correspond to singular medical characteristics of the detainee, possibly assaulted or injured during the arrest. Our objective was to determine medical characteristics of detainees held in custody for drink-driving.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective monocentric study (April-October, 2010) of drink-drive arrestees. Controls were persons aged over 18 detained for other reasons than drink-driving. Data collected concerned persons' characteristics and reported assaults or observed injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  223 drivers were tested positive for breath alcohol level and 55 suspected drink-drivers refused or were not able to complete breath test. 2212 consecutively examined persons served as controls. Drink-drive arrestees requested medical examination more rarely (18% and 7%, vs. 43%, P<0.0001) and drivers tested positive for breath alcohol were more frequently alcohol abusers (25% vs. 14%, P<0.0001) than controls. Drivers who did not complete breath test more often reported assaults than those tested positive for breath alcohol (22% vs. 8%, P=0.007). They had more frequent traumatic injuries than those tested positive and than controls (29% vs. 11% and 17%, P=0.003 and 0.02). Only 1% of drink drivers were unfit for detention after medical examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians need to give attentive care to detained drink-drivers. Special attention should be paid to drink-drivers who refused or were not able to complete breath alcohol measurement.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Forensic Medicine, hôpital Jean-Verdier (AP-HP), F-93140 Bondy, France.
authors.forename: Aude
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lepresle
authors.forename: Tiao Saysouda
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Mahindhoratep
authors.forename: Fouad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiadmi
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schlatter
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boraud
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chariot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001944:Breath Tests; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D016495:Police; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology