title: Profile of a drunk driver and risk factors for drunk driving. Findings in roadside testing in the province of Uusimaa in Finland 1990-2008.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to define the profile of a drunk driver and to determine risk factors for drunk driving by analyzing data on both sober and drunk drivers. Systematic roadside surveys have been carried out in Southern Finland for over 18 years, with 20,000-30,000 drivers breath tested annually. During the study period, 1241 drunk drivers were caught (legal blood alcohol limit 0.50‰). The comparison material consisted of 3407 sober drivers. The surveys were designed to further investigate demographic features and driving habits of drivers. The prevalence of drunk driving has been 0.2% over the time period, with only random variations. According to the data, a typical drunk driver is a man aged 40-49 who has a valid driving license and drives his own car, usually alone, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 1.0‰. He has a job and is married or cohabiting. The profile remained consistent throughout the study period. The risk of drunk driving was found to be five times higher for men than for women. Divorcees and widow(er)s had a substantially higher risk factor for being caught drunk driving than married drivers. Drunk drivers are most likely to be caught by roadside testing on Saturday mornings. During the study period the blood alcohol limit for aggravated drunk driving was lowered in 1994 from 1.5 to 1.2‰. In 2004 the taxation of alcohol beverages was reduced by 30%. Neither of these measures affected the prevalence of drunk driving or the mean BAC of drunk drivers (p=0.63).
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland. maria.portman@thl.fi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Penttilä
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haukka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajalin
authors.forename: C J P
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gunnar
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koskimaa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuoppasalmi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Drunk driving; Prevalence; Profile; Risk factors