Citation

Fujita Y, Shibata A. Traffic Injury Prev. 2006; 7(4): 325-327.

Affiliation

Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15389580600789135

PMID

17114088

Abstract

Objective. The present study was performed to clarify the relation between alcohol use and traffic fatalities in accidents involving motor vehicles in Japan.Methods. Data on traffic accidents were collected from Fukuoka Prefectural Police records of traffic accidents which occurred in that prefecture between 1987 and 1996. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of alcohol use on the risk of traffic-accident death.Results. The data showed that 58,421 male drivers were involved in traffic accidents during the 10-year study period, and that 271 of these were killed as a result of the accident. Alcohol use was significantly associated with speed, seat belt use, time, and road form. Among male motorcar drivers, the odds ratio of alcohol use before driving, after adjusting for age, calendar year, time, and road form, was 4.08 (95% confidence interval, 3.08-5.40), which means that about 75% of fatalities (attributable risk percent among exposed) might have been prevented if drivers had not drunk before driving.Conclusions. Alcohol use before driving resulted in a 4.08-fold increase in the risk of death in a traffic accident. It is suggested that alcohol use is considered an important risk factor for fatality in traffic accidents.

Language: en