Am J Epidemiol 2003; 157:131-140.
Copyright © 2003 by Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS |
Association of Alcohol-related Laws with Deaths due to Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Crashes in the United States, 1980–1997
1 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
2 Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
3 Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
4 Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
5 Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
6 Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Olympia, WA.
The authors compared US motor vehicle and motorcycle mortality rates during periods when each of several alcohol-related laws were in effect with mortality rates during other periods. During the period 1980–1997, there were 792,184 deaths due to motor vehicle crashes and 63,052 deaths due to motorcycle crashes. An estimated 26% and 49% of these fatalities, respectively, were attributable to alcohol use. The incidence of alcohol-related mortality in motor vehicle crashes was lower when laws specifying a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 g/dl per se (laws stating that it is a criminal offense to drive with a blood alcohol concentration above the state’s legal limit) were in effect (adjusted rate ratio (RR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83, 0.88). For motorcycle deaths, the adjusted rate ratio was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79, 0.95). The incidence of alcohol-related mortality in motor vehicle crashes was also lower during periods when two other types of laws were in effect: zero tolerance laws (adjusted RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.90) and administrative license revocation laws (adjusted RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93, 0.98). Overall motorcycle mortality was lower when administrative license revocation laws were in effect (adjusted RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.98).
accidents, traffic; alcoholic intoxication; automobile driving; automobiles; legislation; motorcycles
Abbreviations: Abbreviations: BAC, blood alcohol concentration; CI, confidence interval; RR, rate ratio.
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