Brewer R D, Morris P D, Cole T B, Watkins S, Patetta M J, Popkin C
Division of Field Epidemiology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341.
N Engl J Med. 1994 Aug 25;331(8):513-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199408253310806.
Reports suggest that people who drive while intoxicated by alcohol may do so repeatedly. We hypothesized that persons arrested for driving while impaired might be at increased risk for death in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash. To evaluate this possibility, we studied the deaths of drivers in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents in North Carolina over a 10-year period.
We compared drivers who died in motor vehicle crashes from 1980 through 1989 and who had blood alcohol concentrations of at least 20 mg per deciliter (4.3 mmol per liter), referred to as the case drivers, with those who died in crashes but had blood alcohol concentrations below 20 mg per deciliter, referred to as the control drivers. We identified case drivers and control drivers through the state Medical Examiner System. We then searched North Carolina driver-history files for the five years before each death to identify arrests for driving while impaired.
We linked a total of 1646 case drivers and 1474 control drivers to their driver-history files. Case drivers were more likely than control drivers to have been arrested for driving while impaired (26 percent vs. 3 percent). After we controlled for potential confounding variables, case drivers 21 to 34 years of age were 4.3 times more likely (95 percent confidence interval, 2.7 to 6.8) than control drivers to have been arrested for driving while impaired; case drivers 35 years of age or older were 11.7 times more likely (95 percent confidence interval, 6.8 to 20.1). The strength of the association appeared to increase with the number of prior arrests. Case drivers were also more likely than the general population of currently licensed drivers to have been arrested.
Arrests for driving while impaired substantially increase the risk of eventual death in an alcohol-related crash. Aggressive intervention in the cases of people arrested for driving while impaired may decrease the likelihood of a future fatal alcohol-related crash.
报告显示，醉酒驾车的人可能会屡次如此。我们推测，因驾驶能力受损而被捕的人在酒精相关机动车碰撞事故中死亡的风险可能会增加。为评估这种可能性，我们研究了北卡罗来纳州10年间酒精相关机动车事故中驾驶员的死亡情况。
我们将1980年至1989年在机动车碰撞事故中死亡且血液酒精浓度至少为每分升20毫克（每升4.3毫摩尔）的驾驶员（称为病例驾驶员）与在碰撞事故中死亡但血液酒精浓度低于每分升20毫克的驾驶员（称为对照驾驶员）进行比较。我们通过州法医系统识别病例驾驶员和对照驾驶员。然后，我们在北卡罗来纳州驾驶员历史档案中搜索每次死亡前五年内因驾驶能力受损而被捕的记录。
我们将总共1646名病例驾驶员和1474名对照驾驶员与其驾驶员历史档案进行了关联。病例驾驶员比对照驾驶员更有可能因驾驶能力受损而被捕（26%对3%）。在我们控制了潜在的混杂变量后，21至34岁的病例驾驶员因驾驶能力受损而被捕的可能性是对照驾驶员的4.3倍（95%置信区间，2.7至6.8）；35岁及以上的病例驾驶员的可能性是对照驾驶员的11.7倍（95%置信区间，6.8至20.1）。关联强度似乎随着先前被捕次数的增加而增强。病例驾驶员也比当前持有驾照的驾驶员总体更有可能被捕。
因驾驶能力受损而被捕会大幅增加在酒精相关碰撞事故中最终死亡的风险。对因驾驶能力受损而被捕的人进行积极干预可能会降低未来发生致命酒精相关碰撞事故的可能性。
