A pooled analysis of on-the-road highway driving studies in actual traffic measuring standard deviation of lateral position (i.e., “weaving”) while driving at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.5 g/L

Introduction. Consumption of alcohol may be an important causative factor in traffic accidents, particularly in categories of drivers and pedestrians. Objective. Analysis of frequency and other important medicolegal characteristics of drunken state of motor vehicles drivers. Methods. We analyzed autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine Belgrade during 2008 and 2009. Data were obtained from autopsy protocols, results of toxicological examinations, and police reports about circumstances of traffic accidents. Results. Out of all 84 fatally injured drivers, drunken state was proved in 31 (36.9%). The majority of them were males (30% or 97%), while only one female driver was under the influence of alcohol. The most often drunken drivers were in the third life decade (10% or 32.2%). In most cases the injured alcoholised drivers died immediately after the accident (83.8%). In most of them blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was higher than 2? (58.1%), most frequently (12) BAC varied between 2.1? and 2.5?, and the highest determined BAC was 3.85?. The majority of accidents occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. (54.8%), mostly during working days (77.4%). The most frequent ways of the occurrence of traffic accidents were driving by turning away from the road and striking from behind another vehicle on the road. Conclusion. The obtained results point out the important role of the drunken state of the drivers of motor vehicles as a causative factor in traffic accidents in our population. The potentially effective preventive measure could be absolute prohibition of alcohol consumption for all drivers.

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The Importance of Alcohol Testing by Gas Chromatography vs the Cordebard Classical Method Modified in the Medico Legal Investigation

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.18.9.6543 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (9) ◽

pp. 2407-2410

Author(s):

Dan Perju Dumbrava ◽

Carmen Corina Radu ◽

Sofia David ◽

Tatiana Iov ◽

Catalin Jan Iov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Chromatography ◽

Chromatographic Method ◽

Classical Method ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Technical Details ◽

Gas Chromatographic Method ◽

Alcohol Testing ◽

Living Person

Considering the growing number of requests from the criminal investigations authorities addressed to the institutions of legal medicine, testing of blood alcohol concentration both in the living person and in the corpse, we believe that a presentation of the two methods which are used in our country, is a topic of interest at present. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with the technical details on how blodd alcohol concentration is realised by means of the gas chromatographic method and the classical one, (Cordebard modified by D. Banciu and I. Droc) respectively. Another purpose of this article is to also show, in a comparative way, the elements that make the gas chromatographic method superior to the former one.

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A Driving Simulator Study of the Performance Effects of Low Blood Alcohol Concentration

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193129604001817 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 40 (18) ◽

pp. 943-946 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. Wade Allen ◽

Zareh Parseghian ◽

Anthony C. Stein

Keyword(s):

Divided Attention ◽

Driving Simulator ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Large Body ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Performance Effects ◽

Driving Task ◽

Simulator Study ◽

And Performance

There is a large body of research that documents the impairing effect of alcohol on driving behavior and performance. Some of the most significant alcohol influence seems to occur in divided attention situations when the driver must simultaneously attend to several aspects of the driving task. This paper describes a driving simulator study of the effect of a low alcohol dose, .055 BAC (blood alcohol concentration %/wt), on divided attention performance. The simulation was mechanized on a PC and presented visual and auditory feedback in a truck cab surround. Subjects were required to control speed and steering on a rural two lane road while attending to a peripheral secondary task. The subject population was composed of 33 heavy equipment operators who were tested during both placebo and drinking sessions. Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed a significant and practical alcohol effect on a range of variables in the divided attention driving task.

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4. Are a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 256mg/dl and Minimal Signs of Impairment Reliable Indications of Alcohol Dependence?

Medicine Science and the Law ◽

10.1177/002580249403400316 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 265-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A W Jones

Keyword(s):

Expert Witness ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Drunk Driving ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Driving Under The Influence ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Lower Court ◽

Dna Profile ◽

Court Of Appeals ◽

Driving Scenario

This article describes a drink-driving scenario where a woman was apprehended for driving under the influence (DUI) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 256mg/dl1 The correctness of this result was vigorously challenged by a medical expert witness for the defence, who was actually a specialist in alcohol diseases. Despite reanalysis to confirm the BAC as well as a DNA profile to prove the identity of the blood specimen, the woman was acquitted of the charge of drunk driving by the lower court. However, she was subsequently found guilty in the High Court of Appeals with a unanimous decision and sentenced to four weeks imprisonment. This case report illustrates some of the problems surrounding the use of expert medical evidence by the defence to challenge the validity of the prosecution evidence based solely on a suspect's BAC. In situations such as these, an expert witness should be called by the prosecution to clarify and, if necessary, rebut medical and/or scientific opinions that might mislead the court and influence the outcome of the trial.

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