You are in Artículos Volume 41 Number 3

Driving with alcohol content above the legal limits: profile of the driver according to the type of road

abstract

A cross-sectional study of the alcohol breath tests carried out by police officers in\r\nCatalonia in 2013 is performed. The sample consists of 464,134 breath tests, of which\r\n66% were held on interurban roads and 34% on urban roads. Method: We measure\r\nwhether the driver exceeds the legal limit in milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled\r\nair. For novice or professional drivers the legal limit is 0.15 mg/l, while for other drivers\r\nit is 0.25 mg/l. First, a descriptive analysis of the percentage of drivers detected above\r\nthe legally permitted limit on interurban and urban roads is performed. It takes into\r\naccount the characteristics of the driver and the vehicle, the reason for the test, and\r\nthe timeframe. Afterwards, two generalized linear models with binomial family and\r\nlogarithmic link are adjusted, depending on whether the test is conducted on interurban\r\nor urban roads. Results: Driver age, nationality or timeframe affect the probability of\r\nexceeding the alcohol legal limit differently, depending on whether the test is conducted\r\non interurban or urban roads. Conclusion: Designing road safety policies adapted to\r\nthe type of road can help reduce alcohol-impaired driving and therefore accident rates.

Keywords:

Addiction, breath alcohol content, driving, road type, profiles.

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Authors

Manuela Alcañiz - Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona
Miguel Santolino - Riskcenter-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona
Lluís Ramon - Servei Català de Trànsit, Generalitat de Catalunya