TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Alcohol and alcohol combined with texting: evaluation of driving impairment effects in a closed-course section
JO  - Substance use and misuse
A1  - da Costa, Bruno Ruiz Brandão
A1  - Freitas, Bruno Toledo
A1  - Caleffo Piva Bigão, Vítor Luiz
A1  - Perdoná, Gleici da Silva Castro
A1  - De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Examine the driving impairment effects of alcohol alone and of alcohol combined with texting. <br><br>METHODS: Fifteen drivers (nine male, six female; mean age: 31.1 ± 6.9 years, range: 23 to 43 years) with similar drinking habit (i.e., social drinkers) completed a lap in a closed-course section in six different situations: (I) sober; (II) sober and while texting; (III) 30 minutes after ingesting a moderate dose of ethanol (0.50 g/kg); (IV) 30 minutes after drinking and while texting; (V) 60 minutes after drinking, (VI) 60 minutes after drinking and while texting. Driving performance was analyzed by means of maximum and mean speed, braking time and braking distance; and ability to control the car (i.e., evaluating if the drivers hit a traffic cone or exceeded the boundaries of the course). P values of < 0.05 were considered significant. <br><br>RESULTS: Pre and post-alcohol consumption results show a significant increase concerning the drivers' mean and maximum speed after drinking (p < 3.2x10(-8)). However, neither alcohol nor texting had significant effects on braking parameters (p > 0.05). Traffic cones were knocked down only in texting experiments. In addition, when using the cell phone drivers tended to reduce the speed, and to accelerate abruptly right after they finish texting. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that even moderate alcohol doses may significantly impair the driving performance. Additionally, alcohol and texting have complementary effects on driving impairment, and their combination represents a significant risk factor for crashes.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1082-6084
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2115850
ID  - ref1
ER  -