Research Report The relationship between serious injury and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in fatal motor vehicle accidents: BAC=0.01% is associated with significantly more dangerous accidents than BAC=0.00%
David P. Phillips & Kimberly M. Brewer
Department of Sociology, University of California at San Diego,
San Diego, CA, USA
ABSTRACT - Aim To analyze the severity of automotive injuries
associated with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in increments
of 0.01%. Design/setting Epidemiological study using the
Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Participants All people in
US fatal automotive accidents, 1994–2008 (n = 1 495 667).
Measurements The ratio of serious: nonserious
injuries for drivers, by BAC.
Findings Accident severity increases significantly even when the
driver is merely
‘buzzed’, a finding that persists after standardization for
various confounding factors.
