Alcohol use, driving records, and crash culpability among injured motorcycle drivers

Soderstrom, Carl A.; Dischinger, Patricia C.; Ho, Shiu Man; Soderstrom, Margaret T.

Affiliations

¹Department of Surgery, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland USA

²National Study Center for Trauma and Emergency Medical Systems, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland USA

³Center for Living, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, Maryland USA

Abstract

Alcohol use, driving records, crash culpability, and crash conviction rates for 165 injured motorcycle drivers (MTCDs) were studied. Of the 165 MTCDs, 53.3% tested positive for alcohol (BAC+). Culpability determinations (N=150) revealed that 83% of BAC+ and 46% of BAC- MTCDs caused their crashes (p<0.001). Driving records (N=145) revealed the following prevalence of ³1 convictions for BAC+ and BAC- MTCDs: impaired driving (29% vs 7%, p<0.001); speeding (74% vs 58%, p<0.05); and reckless driving (68% vs 44%, p<0.002). Of the surviving culpable impaired MCTDs (N=48), 16.7% received crash-related convictions, 12.5% received alcohol-related convictions. The data suggest that legal sanctions against injured BAC+ MTCDs are inadequate.

Cited Works (4)

Year	Entry
1990	Barillo D, Earnest T, Rhodes M, Fina R. Legal outcome of intoxicated drivers involved in motor vehicle collisions. In: 34th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 1-3, 1990; Scottsdale, AZ.83-95.
1974	Baker SP, O'Neill B, Haddon W Jr, Long WB. The injury severity score: a method for describing patients with multiple injuries and evaluating emergency care. J Trauma. March 1974;14(3):187-196.
1984	Maull KI, Kinning LS, Hickman JK. Culpability and accountability of hospitalized injured alcohol-impaired drivers: a prospective study. JAMA. October 12, 1984;252(14):1880-1883.
1990	Shankar BS, Dischinger PC, Ramzy AI, Soderstrom CA, Clark CC. Helmet use, patterns of injury, and medical outcome among motorcycle drivers in Maryland. In: 34th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 1-3, 1990; Scottsdale, AZ.13-34.