Citation

Huntley MS. J. Saf. Res. 1973; 5(3): 149-164.

Affiliation

University of Vermont

Copyright

(Copyright © 1973, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Alcohol and driving researches arranged broadly in terms of adequacy of experimental design and technical sophistication. Some studies can be considered no more than demonstrational, whereas others provide a solid basis for much-needed additional work. In almost all cases, alcohol is been shown to alter driving behavior. For example, it increases steering in velocity variation and the frequency of procedural errors, and decreases driving smoothness, stopping efficiency, cornering ability, and the extent of the visual field explored by the driver. Although the data indicate a high probability of impairment at BAC between 0.05% and 0.0 75%, it cannot be assumed that all drivers are always impaired at these concentrations, for even BAC is as high as 0.13% are not sufficient to impair performance in all instances. The influences of alcohol are modified by driving skill, drinking experience, personality, the nature of the driving test, and sleep deprivation. Such interactions illustrate the complicated nature of the alcohol-performance relationship and indicate the importance of research on the effects of alcohol when combined with other driving-relevant variables.