In 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board advised lawmakers in the United States to reduce the legal limit of blood alcohol content (BAC) from 0.08% to 0.05%.
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the rationale for reducing the legal limit of BAC to 0.05% through analysis of the relationship between BAC and injury severity.
A correlational study was conducted on patients with positive BAC involved in a motor vehicular collision. Retrospective review of 446 trauma patients (aged 18-80 years) injured in a vehicular collision routinely screened for BAC was conducted. Two groups were compared: Group 1, patients with nonzero blood alcohol concentration (n = 101); and Group 2, patients with zero blood alcohol (n = 345). Standard statistical analyses were utilized.
A total of 101 patients (23%) had a detectable BAC on admission. Patients with a detectable BAC were younger (33 and 44 years) and more likely to be male (27% and 16%). There was no statistically significant association between both injury severity score (ISS) and BAC or between ISS and age.
There was no significant correlation between higher BAC and a higher ISS. Positive BAC alone may not affect ISS, but the potential for risk-taking behaviors by drivers under the influence may increase injury severity.