TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2001//
TI  - Alcohol/drug abuse, driving convictions, and risk-taking dispositions among trauma center patients
JO  - Accident analysis and prevention
A1  - Smith, Gordon C. S.
A1  - Flint, R. D.
A1  - Kerns, Timothy J.
A1  - Dischinger, Patricia C.
A1  - Ballesteros, Michael F.
A1  - Soderstrom, Carl A.
SP  - 771
EP  - 782
VL  - 33
IS  - 6
N2  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between alcohol/drug abuse diagnoses, driving convictions (speeding, reckless driving, impaired driving, license violations), and risk-taking dispositions among a series of injured drivers admitted to a trauma center. The driving records of 778 patients were linked to diagnoses of psychoactive substance use disorders (PSUDs), admission blood alcohol concentration (BAC), mode of injury, and results of a risk-taking disposition survey. Twenty-nine percent of patients had one or more convictions in the 3 years before injury. Types of violation were not related to mode of injury. Although there was a positive association between prior impaired-driving convictions, current alcohol dependence, and a BAC + status, a consistent pattern relative to other violations, PSUDs, and BAC status was not apparent. Risk-taking disposition scale scores indicated that patients without PSUDs and without convictions tended toward less risk-taking behavior than patients with PSUDs and with convictions. The complex inter-relationships between PSUDs, risk-taking dispositions, and being convicted of driving dangerously require additional study so that intervention programs and injury prevention initiatives can be targeted effectively.
LA  - en
SN  - 0001-4575
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -