Foss R D, Beirness D J, Sprattler K
UNC Highway Safety Research Center, Chapel Hill 27599-3430.
Am J Public Health. 1994 Nov;84(11):1732-7. doi: 10.2105/ajph.84.11.1732.
Among the reasons cited for recent declines in alcohol-related traffic fatalities is the enactment of seat belt use laws by most states. It is suspected that drinking drivers are less likely to comply with such laws, although evidence on the relationship between belt use and drinking by drivers is sparse and conflicting. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of drinking to driver seat belt use.
Observational, self-report, and chemical breath test data were collected on nighttime drivers in 16 Minnesota communities during September, 1990.
Drivers with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (> or = 100 mg/dL) were substantially less likely to be wearing a seat belt (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17). Belt use was also more common among females (OR = 2.02) and before midnight (OR = 1.47). Males who had been drinking were less likely to be belted. Belt use was related to drinking before, but not after, midnight. Belt use was not related to drinking status among college graduates, but it was strongly related to drinking status among those with less education.
The present findings provide further argument for rapid implementation of passive countermeasures (airbags) and for development of creative, carefully focused interventions to target high-risk populations.
近期与酒精相关的交通死亡人数下降的原因之一是大多数州颁布了安全带使用法律。据推测,酒后驾车者不太可能遵守此类法律,尽管关于安全带使用与驾驶员饮酒之间关系的证据稀少且相互矛盾。本研究的目的是检验饮酒与驾驶员安全带使用之间的关系。
1990年9月,收集了明尼苏达州16个社区夜间驾驶员的观察数据、自我报告数据和化学呼气测试数据。
血液酒精浓度非法(≥100毫克/分升)的驾驶员系安全带的可能性大大降低(优势比[OR]=2.17)。女性(OR=2.02)和午夜前(OR=1.47)系安全带的情况也更常见。饮酒的男性系安全带的可能性较小。系安全带与午夜前饮酒有关,但与午夜后饮酒无关。大学毕业生的系安全带情况与饮酒状况无关,但受教育程度较低者的系安全带情况与饮酒状况密切相关。
目前的研究结果为迅速实施被动对策(安全气囊)以及针对高危人群制定有创造性、重点明确的干预措施提供了进一步的依据。