Starkey Nicola J, Charlton Samuel G
Traffic and Road Safety Research Group (TARS), School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014 Jul;29(4):370-83. doi: 10.1002/hup.2415. Epub 2014 Jun 16.
Alcohol has an adverse effect on driving performance; however, the effects of moderate doses on different aspects of the driving task are inconsistent and differ across the intoxication curve. This research aimed to investigate driving and cognitive performance asymmetries (acute tolerance and acute protracted error) accompanying the onset and recovery from moderate alcohol consumption.
Sixty-one participants received a placebo, medium (target blood alcohol concentration [BAC] 0.05 mg/ml) or high (target BAC 0.08 mg/ml) dose of alcohol. Participants completed a simulated drive, cognitive tests and subjective rating scales five times over a 3.5 h period.
When ascending and descending BACs (0.05 and 0.09 mg/ml) were compared participants' self-ratings of intoxication and willingness to drive showed acute tolerance. Acute protracted errors were observed for response speed, maze learning errors, time exceeding the speed limit and exaggerated steering responses to hazards.
Participants' estimates of their level of intoxication were poorly related to their actual BAC levels (and hence degree of impairment), and various aspects of driving and cognitive performance worsened during descending BACs. This indicates that drivers are not good at judging their fitness to drive after drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol and suggests an important focus for public education regarding alcohol and driving.
酒精对驾驶表现有不良影响；然而，中等剂量酒精对驾驶任务不同方面的影响并不一致，且在醉酒曲线上存在差异。本研究旨在调查中等酒精摄入量的摄入和恢复过程中伴随的驾驶和认知表现不对称性（急性耐受性和急性持续性错误）。
61名参与者接受了安慰剂、中等剂量（目标血液酒精浓度[BAC]0.05mg/ml）或高剂量（目标BAC 0.08mg/ml）的酒精。参与者在3.5小时内完成了五次模拟驾驶、认知测试和主观评分量表。
当比较上升和下降的BAC（0.05和0.09mg/ml）时，参与者对醉酒程度的自我评分和驾驶意愿表现出急性耐受性。在反应速度、迷宫学习错误、超速时间和对危险的过度转向反应方面观察到急性持续性错误。
参与者对自己醉酒程度的估计与他们实际的BAC水平（以及由此产生的损害程度）关系不大，并且在BAC下降期间，驾驶和认知表现的各个方面都恶化了。这表明驾驶员不擅长判断自己在仅饮用适量酒精后是否适合驾驶，并提示了关于酒精与驾驶的公众教育的一个重要重点。
