Citation

Lyon R, Berry-Cabán CS, Lyon C, Markowski H, Boltinhouse SL. Traffic Injury Prev. 2016; 17(2): 109-113.

Affiliation

a Emergency Medicine, Womack Army Medical Center , Fort Bragg , NC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15389588.2015.1045503

PMID

26042876

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Outcomes from previous studies report the driving under the influence (DUI) conviction rates for trauma patients in several cities within Canada and the United States over the last two decades. This study reports charge, conviction, and prosecution rates for trauma patients at two level-1 trauma centers servicing a large metropolitan city.

METHODS A retrospective review of the trauma databases were completed to identify patients meeting inclusion criteria. Four hundred sixty patients were identified and their records were compared with the District Attorney's records for DUI charges and convictions.

RESULTS The conviction rate for this study was 8.7%, demonstrating continued low rates of conviction despite growing interest and public awareness of drinking and driving.

CONCLUSIONS We discuss legal considerations that providers should consider when treating patients who have been drinking and driving.

Language: en