U.S. alcohol associated traffic injuries and fatalities from 2014 to 2018.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of national registry database records.
PubMed 33041116 · doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2020.07.089
What was done
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from 2014 through 2018 in the United States. They evaluated crash injuries and fatalities across three blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tiers: 0.00 g/dl, 0.01–0.07 g/dl, and ≥0.08 g/dl, using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests.
What was found
Compared to crashes involving a BAC of 0.01–0.07 g/dl, crashes involving a BAC ≥0.08 g/dl were associated with significantly more injuries (6,779 vs. 1,357; p < .001) and fatalities (10,522 vs. 1,894; p < .001).
Why it matters
These findings quantify the severe burden of legal-threshold alcohol intoxication on U.S. roadway trauma, providing descriptive support for reassessing legal BAC limits and expanding targeted prevention programs.
Limits
The abstract reports aggregate fatality and injury counts rather than risk ratios, rate metrics adjusted for vehicle miles traveled, or multivariable adjustments for confounders such as vehicle speed, seatbelt use, and weather. Total sample sizes for the unexposed (0.00 g/dl) cohort are not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Drunk driving causes approximately 10,000 deaths per year in the United States.