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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Risk for DWI: a new look at gender differences in drinking and driving influences, experiences, and attitudes among new adolescent drivers.

Adolescent drivers are over-represented in fatal auto accidents, especially those involving alcohol (DWI). Young male drivers appear to be at higher risk than adolescent female drivers because of a variety of important influencing factors. The current study takes a new look at the gender differences in these factors as they relate to driving behavior. Three hundred forty-three tenth-grade students (mean age: 15.8 years; 52% male, 48% female) were studied measuring demographics, family characteristics and influences, drug and alcohol use, perception of driving skill, sensation-seeking, other personality factors and responses to DWI vignettes for decision-making skill. Female respondents more often had difficulty with parents (p = 0.03) than males and more often used drugs and alcohol (p = 0.05). Boys more often attended speed competitions (p = 0.003), had legal problems (p = 0.004), and dated at a younger age (p less than 0.001). Males perceived greater driving skill in risky situations and used the automobile to enhance self-efficacy more than females (p = 0.001/p = 0.05). Male drivers scored higher on anger/hostility and sensation-seeking scales (p = 0.05). There were few significant gender differences in the way respondents analyzed risky DWI situations. Even though female subjects used more alcohol/drugs and came from more disturbed family backgrounds, their attitudes and behavior with respect to DWI appear more socially acceptable. Speculation as to some of the reasons for this effect are discussed with implications for prevention and further research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A three-year prospective study of rearrests for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.

Fifty drunken drivers and 50 drivers with high blood drug concentrations arrested during the first four months of 1983 were selected for a study of rearrests for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs. Of the drugged drivers selected, 32 had been driving with high blood concentrations of diazepam (greater than 1.0 microM). 50% of these drivers were rearrested during the subsequent three years. The rearrest rate was low (6%) among those who had been driving with high blood concentrations of amphetamine (greater than 2.0 microM) or THC (greater than 0.010 microM). Among the drunken drivers arrested (BAC greater than 0.05%), the rearrest rate was 20%. The drivers were mostly rearrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Assessing one's own and others' driving ability: influences of sex, age, and experience.

Observational studies of drivers' involvements in dangerous situations suggest that young males drive differently from other road users. Studies of drivers' assessments of their own ability appear to show that they believe they drive better than their peers and that, while young males equate their ability with that of older male drivers, the latter group see themselves as superior to their younger counterparts but of equivalent ability to peers. It is unclear from previous studies what the influence of driving experience is on such assessments and, indeed, what female drivers feel about their ability. The present studies suggest that the widely reported tendency for people to overestimate their ability may be largely artifactual, that males and females describe their performance similarly, and that previously reported age differences disappear when driving experience is controlled. Among the differences that remain is the reported greater "recklessness" and comparative lack of "smoothness" of young males' driving. The implications of these findings for our understanding of risk assessment and acceptance are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Screening for drug use among Norwegian drivers suspected of driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.

Two hundred and seventy blood samples selected at random from Norwegian drivers apprehended on the suspicion of drunken or drugged driving were screened for the presence of amphetamine, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cocaine. Of the samples tested, 223 were from drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol only (A-cases). In the rest (n = 47) of the cases, the police also suspected drugs as a possible reason for driving impairment (D-cases). In the A-cases, benzodiazepines were found in 17%, cannabinoids in 26%, THC in 13% and amphetamine in 2% of the blood samples. One or more drugs besides ethanol were found in 38% of the A-samples. In the D-cases, benzodiazepines were found in 53%, cannabinoids in 43%, THC in 43%, amphetamine in 13% and 77% of these samples contained one or more drugs. Cocaine was not detected in any sample. Blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.05% were found in 80% of the drug positive A-cases and in 28% of the drug positive D-cases. The frequency of drug detection in A-samples was similar (40%) in samples with BAC above and below 0.05%, while this frequency was much higher (above 90%) in D-samples with BAC below 0.05% than in D-samples with BAC above 0.05% (53%). Benzodiazepines were most frequently found among drivers above 25 years of age, while cannabinoids were most frequently found among drivers below 35 years. For about 15-20% of the A-cases with BAC below 0.05%, other drugs were detected at concentrations which may cause driving impairment. It was concluded that analysis of alcohol only might often be insufficient in A-cases to reveal driving impairment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Influence of drive cycle length during programmed stimulation on induction of ventricular arrhythmias: analysis of 403 patients.

The drive cycle length at which programmed ventricular stimulation is performed is a fundamental variable in all stimulation protocols, but the influence of this variable on the ability to induce ventricular arrhythmias has not been systematically analyzed. This study, which included 403 patients with prior ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation undergoing programmed ventricular stimulation with a uniform protocol that incorporated 3 basic drive cycle lengths from the right ventricular apex, was performed to examine the influence of drive cycle length on the induction of ventricular arrhythmias. The sensitivity of the protocol was 62% for nonsustained VT, 73% for ventricular fibrillation and 89% for sustained VT. Fifty-four percent (217 patients) had an arrhythmia induced with programmed ventricular stimulation during ventricular pacing. No arrhythmia was induced in 96 patients (24%), whereas induction was accomplished during sinus rhythm in 61 patients (15%) and rapid ventricular pacing in 29 patients (7%). With this protocol, the sensitivity for single and double extrastimuli during ventricular pacing increases using decremental drive cycle lengths. Although only 2 patients had induction of a ventricular arrhythmia at a drive cycle length of 700 to 650 ms using a single extrastimulus, 14, 8 and 3 patients had ventricular arrhythmias induced by single extrastimuli at drive cycle lengths of 600 to 550, 500 to 450 and 400 ms, respectively. Of 163 patients with arrhythmias induced with double extrastimuli, only 6 had an arrhythmia induced at drive cycle lengths of 700 to 650 ms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Legislated policies and recidivism for driving under the influence of liquor in Massachusetts.

Legislation on driving under the influence of liquor was changed significantly in Massachusetts on 1 December 1975; it permitted courts to continue cases without a finding if defendants were place probation and assigned to driver alcohol education. The effect of the revisions on the incidence of rearrest was assessed. The 3-yr arrest records of 522 individuals arrested for drunken driving 2 yr before the changes (1973) were compared with 716 and 690 offenders arrested 1 (1976) and 2 (1977) yr post-law modification. Sample participants were selected randomly. The legislation strongly affected court dispositions. Over 70% of the 1976-1977 cases were continued without findings and more offenders were sanctioned. The proportion found not guilty dropped from 1973 to 1976-1977. Absolute rearrest rates were similar for each cohort. Probability of arrest, however, rose substantially between 1973 and 1980. Relative to the increased arrest rate, there was a significant decline in rearrests 2 and 3 yr after a drunken driving arrest during the post-law period. The legislation apparently contributed to an amelioration of the drunken driving problem by encouraging judicial reforms and educational interventions.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1988

Arrests of women for driving under the influence.

Police records of arrests of women in Wichita, Kansas for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol for a 5-year period (1980-1984) were studied. The proportion of arrests of women increased from 10.6 to 14.5% of total arrested. Women in their 20s comprised the largest age group; single women were greatly overrepresented. More than one-half of the arrested women were employed outside the home; a substantial proportion (30.8%) were unemployed at the time of arrest. The average blood alcohol level of those tested was 183 mg/dl. Characteristics of arrestees are discussed in terms of changes in the social roles and expectations of women. Although time of arrest was similar to that of men (i.e., night), arrests of women were more evenly spread across the days of the week. Within the 5-year period, the rate of recidivism for DUI was 7.43%. The implications of arrest and recidivism patterns are discussed. A change in legal and arrest procedures was found to have the same effect on arrests of women as it had on those of men, suggesting that the changes did not produce differential treatment by police.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Driving under the influence--a level-I trauma center's experience.

Alcohol-impaired driving is a major issue confronting today's society. New legislation is emerging to help curtail this ongoing problem. To evaluate the legislative effects in terms of outcome pertaining to injured drivers, we analyzed the records of 116 consecutive motor vehicle drivers who were admitted to our trauma center over a 16-month period. Medical reports, police reports, and drivers' abstracts were reviewed. Of the 116 drives, 61 (53%) had blood alcohol concentrations that exceeded the legal limit (blood alcohol level greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL) on arrival at the emergency department. Only four of these patients were ticketed for driving under the influence and received the mandatory suspension of their driver's license. None was convicted of this offense, which carries criminal charges and a revocation of the driver's license. Mechanisms for efficient collection of blood specimens and mandatory occurrence reporting are two recommendations that merit investigation to obviate further escape of injured, intoxicated drivers from the legal net. In addition, alcohol rehabilitation and education cannot be overlooked and should warrant strong societal support.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1990

Driving under the influence of toluene.

Toluene is the most common volatile used for sniffing among adolescents. During 1983-1987, 114 drivers were arrested in Norway with blood toluene concentrations (BTCs) greater than 10 microM. Only four of these drivers were women. The age range was 15-34 years, and the mean age was 21. The mean BTC was 109 microM. There was no simple relation between blood toluene concentration and degree of impairment, however, most drivers with BTCs greater than 100 microM were considered as impaired or probably impaired by toluene. In a five year prospective study of rearrests among drivers arrested for driving after toluene sniffing, 12 out of 15 drivers were rearrested. They were responsible for 40 cases of suspected driving under influence of toluene, alcohol, or other drugs. The blood levels of toluene determined in this study must be regarded as minimum concentrations, since the toluene concentration fell rapidly in samples stored at 4 degrees C or 23 degrees C. Blood samples from drivers suspected of driving under influence of toluene must therefore be kept frozen.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1979

A visual profile of the alcoholic driver.

Some visual characteristics of the chronic alcoholic were investigated in a sample of 100 male alcoholic patients and 100 matched controls. The purpose of the retrospective study was to determine whether these characteristics may contribute to an increased motor vehicle accident rate among alcoholics. Significant differences between the two groups, which might affect driving abilities, were found for color vision deficiencies and the breakage and loss rate of spectacles. No significant differences were found for stereopsis deficiencies, limitation of visual field, distance phorias, ductions, or the need to wear spectacles for driving. An analysis of the refractive data suggests that alcoholic patients may be slightly more hyperopic and less astigmatic than others; however, these differences are not sufficient to influence driving ability.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Reversal of signal significance of stimuli in the avoidance reflex].

The course of reversal learning in go -- no go avoidance reflex differentiation in both cats and dogs was analysed in terms of interrelations between drive and instrumental reflex activity. When signalling properties of the conditioned stimuli were reversed, marked changes in the drive state of experimental animals occurred. The increase of the fear drive influenced both the transfer of the instrumental response to the new positive conditioned stimulus and the extinction of the response to the previously positive stimulus. The quality of the conditioned stimuli and their reflexogenic strength exerted clear effects on the fear drive and on the course of reversal learning. Prefrontal lesions affected the drive state and the conditioned reflex activity of the animals during the reversal learning.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Effects of Maine's 1981 and Massachusetts' 1982 driving-under-the-influence legislation.

In 1981, Maine passed a drunk driving law with mandatory penalties and a new civil charge to increase the conviction rate. One year later, Massachusetts increased drunk driving penalties, particularly for repeat offenders and intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes. In Maine, single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes declined 22 per cent the year before passage of the law, and 33 per cent the year after. Maine's rates returned to pre-law levels by the third post-law year. Prior to Massachusetts' new law, single-vehicle nighttime and overall fatal crashes there also declined 20% and 22%, whereas after this law fatal crash rates did not decline further compared with the pre-law year or other New England states. Pre- and post-law surveys indicate that both laws were followed by some increases in public perceptions that drunk drivers stopped by police would be arrested, convicted, and receive automatic penalties. But, few believed it was very likely that drunk drivers would be stopped. For only two of three years studied after Maine's law did more people there report decisions not to drive because they had drunk too much. In Massachusetts, reported driving after heavy drinking declined as much the year before as the three years after its law.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1991

The effects of combining sanctions and rehabilitation for driving under the influence: an evaluation of the New Jersey Alcohol Countermeasures Program.

In contrast to many other state Driving under the Influence (DUI) programs developed in the United States in the 1970s as alternatives to traditional sanctions, the New Jersey Alcohol Countermeasures Program combined sanctions with mandatory education/rehabilitation for offenders. Three components were evaluated: DUI education, "treatment," and Alcoholics Anonymous. For 2,734 first and repeat offenders participating in this program between 1979 and 1982, the program was effective in reducing DUI recidivism for program completers (66% while licensed and 51% while suspended) compared with noncompleters, but it was less effective in reducing subsequent moving violations while licensed (20% compared with noncompleters) and accidents while licensed (18% compared with noncompleters). Completers had higher rates of violations and accidents while suspended (9% compared with noncompleters). A small group of repeat offenders, missassigned to DUI education, had higher post conviction rates of negative driving events than those of comparable offenders assigned to "treatment" or Alcoholics Anonymous, indicating that for these offenders the latter interventions were more effective.

Alcohol Drinking↗