title: Blood alcohol concentration in drivers of Liege area (Belgium): a 5-year analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to describe 'the results of the blood alcohol determinations made on drivers from the Liege area between 2007 and 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  The results were interpreted according to the sex, to the age, to the circumstances and temporal variation of the test. Statistical analysis was performed using R® software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2725 determinations were done, mainly after crashes. The mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 1.69 g/L, and 2132 drivers were above the legal threshold. A majority of offenders were men, but the mean BAC did not differ significantly between men and women. A correlation between age and mean BAC can be observed on the positive cases. Lowest and highest mean BACs are observed during the daytime and during the night, respectively, but no significant difference can be observed between the week and the weekend. Finally, no significant difference in BAC was observed over years.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical, Forensic and Environmental Toxicology, University of Liege (ULg), CHU (B35), 4000 Liege, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deville
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM), University of Liege (Ulg), CHU (B35), 4000 Liege, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charlier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; D000066448:Driving Under the Influence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content
keywords: After hours care; Family practice; General practitioners; Patient safety; Triage