Culpability and accountability of hospitalized injured alcohol-impaired drivers:​ a prospective study

Maull, Kimball I.; Kinning, Linda S.; Hickman, Julian K.

Affiliations

¹Departments of Surgery, the University of Tennessee Memorial Research Center and Hospital, Knoxville

²Medical College of Virginia, Richmond

³Department of Transportation Safety, Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond

Abstract

During the three-year period ending October 1982, driver records, crash reports, and blood alcohol concentrations were correlated for 56 alcohol-impaired drivers injured seriously enough to warrant hospital admission. Blood alcohol concentration levels exceeded 0.15 vol% in all patients. Despite a high level of suspicion of alcohol involvement and assessment of culpability by the law enforcement officer at the scene, there were no convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) among this problem-drinker population. Injury seems to offer additional protection from enforcement of DUI statutes and, if the patient survives his injuries, allows the offender to resume driving without interdiction.

Links

DOI: 10.1001/jama.1984.03350140026019

PubMed: 6471317

WoS: A1984TN44700017

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Cited By (12)

Year	Entry
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1989	Dischinger PC, Cowley RA. Alcohol use among victims of vehicular crashes admitted to a Level I trauma center. In: 33rd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 2-4, 1989; Baltimore, MD.17-28.
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.
1991	Soderstrom CA, Dischinger PC, Ho SM, Soderstrom MT. Alcohol use, driving records, and crash culpability among injured motorcycle drivers. In: 35th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 7, 1991; Toronto, Canada.219-234.
1992	McLaughlin JG, Smith RJ, Mattice CR, Scholten DJ. Hospitalization and injury influence the prosecution of drunk drivers. In: 36th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1992; Portland, OR.412-423.
1993	Soderstrom CA, Dischinger PC, Kerns TJ. Alcohol use among injured sets of drivers and passengers: five years later and the wrong occupant is still driving. In: 37th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). November 4-6, 1993; San Antonio, TX.271-278.
1995	Lillis RP, Good R, States JD. Post treatment driving records of injured impaired drivers. In: 39th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 16-18, 1995; Chicago, IL.79-87.
1998	Miller T, Spicer R, Levy DT, Lestina DC. How drunk are U.S. drivers? measuring the extent, risks and costs of drunk driving. In: 42nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1998; Charlottesville, VA.353-367.
1998	Soderstrom CA, Dischinger PC, Ho SM, Kerns TJ, Flint RD, Ballesteros MF, Smith GS. Pre-injury driving records of trauma center patients relative to psychoactive substance use disorders, mode of injury, and BAC status. In: 42nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1998; Charlottesville, VA.385-400.
2005	Soderstrom CA, Dischinger PC, Kufera JA, Ho SM, Shepard A. Crash culpability relative to age and sex for injured drivers using alcohol, marijuana or cocaine. In: 49th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 12-14, 2005; Boston, MA.327-341.
2012	Miller TR, Gibson R, Zaloshnja E, Blincoe LJ, Kindelberger J, Strashny A, Thomas A, Ho S, Bauer M, Sperry S, Peng J, Singleton M, Smith TJ, Zhang Y. Underreporting of driver alcohol involvement in United States police and hospital records: capture-recapture estimates. In: 56th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 14-17, 2012; Seattle, WA.87-96.
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