A case-control study of the effect of alcohol on the risk of driver fatal injury in New Zealand
Keywords: Drink/Drug Driving
ARSRPE
Submission Date: 2001
Abstract
This study presents estimates of the effect of alcohol on the ris k of driver crash death in New Zealand. The risk estimates presented in this paper are derived from a case-control study using data from the years 1995 to 2000. The cases were drivers killed in crashes that occurred on Friday and Saturday nights between 9:30pm and 2:30am and the controls were drivers stopped at the roadside and breath-tested, also on Friday and Saturday nights (the main drinking days and times in New Zealand). Estimates of driver fatal injury risk per average driving trip were derived from a log-linear model fitted to the data. The estimated risks increased steeply with increasing BAC, with risks at all BAC levels statistically significantly higher for drivers aged under 20 and for drivers aged 20-29 than for drivers aged 30 and over.