DRUNKEN DRIVING IN FINLAND. I. THE PROFILE OF ALL ARRESTED DRUNKEN DRIVERS IN

Transcription

1 DRUNKEN DRIVING IN FINLAND. I. THE PROFILE OF ALL ARRESTED DRUNKEN DRIVERS IN ^R.Lindbohm, M.Kataja^, M.Maki^, A.Penttila^ and J.Pikkarainen'*' 1 2 Central public Health Laboratory, Helsinki, Central Hospital of '^ampere, Central Organization for Traffic Safety in Finland, and Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland INTRODUCTION The national statistics indicate that drunken driving has been an increasing problem in Finland since the 1950's. Various countermeasures have not been able to change the trend. There are several previous investigations from Finland in which the phenomenon has been studies from statistical, sociological and legal points of view (1,2, 5,6,7). However, after these studies marked changes such as improvements in the socio-economic status, alterations and liberalization of the alcohol policy which have been followed by changed attitudes to drinking and increased alcohol consumption, increased urbanization and motorization of the country, etc. have occurred in the society. The statutory limits took legal force in Finland on April 1st These and several other reasons suggested that recent information about drunken driving and its correlation to changes in society are needed. In the present investigations the nature of drunken X ) driving has been studied from two points of view; (i) what do the statistics tell us about the long-term trend xj According to Finnish legislation a person with a BAC of at least 0.50 per mille is regarded as a drunken driver. 218

2 and the present situation of drunken driving in Finland, and (ii) does the real situation on the roads differ from the picture obtained on basis of the statistics? Preliminary results of the present situation concerning the former question have been reported in this study. The results of the road-side surveys giving information for the second question have been presented in the accompanying report (8). MATERIAL AND METHODS The basic material of this study comprised all cases of suspected drunken driving in Finland between July 1st 1977 and June 30th 1978 in which a BAC determination was requested by the police, totally 20,092 cases. From this material were excluded all cases in which the suspected drunken driver claimed alcohol consumption after driving, and all drivers involved in air, water and rail traffic as well as all pedestrians and bicyclists. Thus, the final materials presented here comprised 19,136 suspected male and 487 female drivers from motorized road traffic, which were analyzed separately. The BAC determinations were made at the Central Public Health Laboratory using both a head space gas chromatographic and an alcohol dehydrogenase method. All BAC values presented contain a subtraction of 0.15 o/oo (w/w) from the mean of the original laboratory results (4). The data from the request form of the police, and the documents of the medical examinator and laboratory were programmed and computerized by one of us (M.K.). RESULTS AND COMMENTS Frequency of male drunken drivers Time related distributions. There was a clear seasonal fluctuation in the number of the suspects of the total 219

3 material. Their number was about two times higher in the summer and the autumn than during the winter time (Figure 1). The seasonal distributions were similar in different areas of the country. More persons living abroad were arrested in the summer than during the rest of the year. The majority of this group (2.2 % of the material) consisted of persons born in Finland, but living in Sweden. No distinct differences in the number of the drivers caught on different days of the month could be seen, neither in the whole material nor regionally. % Figure 1 Monthly distribution A clear connection seemed to exist between leisure time, alcohol consumption and the number of arrested drivers, as suggested by the following time-related results: In the weekends between Friday morning and Sunday night about 61 % of all suspects were caught (Figure 2). The regional distributions were fairly similar except for the province of Aland, where a high amount of cases (78 %) accumulated in the weekends. The archipelago of Aland is a popular resort area between Finland and Sweden. Half of the suspects (50 %) were arrested in the night between 21 and 03 hrs (Figure 3). The number of arrested drivers at the bank holidays New Year, Eastern, 1st of May, Midsummer and Christmas was recorded and only for Midsummer it exceeded the mean 220

4 % Figure 2 Distribution by the Figure 3 Distribution by the day of the week. 1= Monday, time of the day etc. amount of the ordinary weekends. Provinces. An attempt was made to evaluate regional differences in drunken driving by correlating the number of drivers to the population and the number of motor vehicles in the twelve provinces of Finland (Table I). The indexes both by the place of arrest and the place of residence for the provinces of Aland and Vaasa were low in comparison with those for the other ten provinces. They obviously indicate that drunken driving is less common in these areas than elsewhere. In the provinces of Aland and Mikkeli a considerable part of the arrests included persons living elsewhere. Evidently many factors such as the attitudes towards drinking and driving, the activity of the police and the population density are reflected in the number of arrested drivers. The rate of the arrested drivers per 1,000 registered motor vehicles was within the range of in all the provinces with the exception for Vaasa which had a rate of 7.1. It should be mentioned that the corresponding amount of registered vehicles per inhabitants was highest in the province of Vaasa,being One fifth above the mean for the whole country. Large towns. Considerable differences were found in 221

5 the indexes between the six largest towns of Finland (Table I). In addition to the possible reasons already given for the local differences, the character of the towns should also be taken into consideration. Thus, the differences for Vantaa, which is situated in close vicinity to the capital,can be explained by its low population density and partly rural character. TABLE I Rates of the male drunken drivers in various provinces of Finland Area Rate per 100,000 of male population By place of arrest By place of residence Provinces - Uusimaa 86 - Turku and Pori 9.1* Aland 61 ko - Hame 8U Qh - Kymi Mikkeli Kuopio Pohjois-Karjala Vaasa Keski-Suomi 76 - Oulu Lappi Large towns - Helsinki Turku Tampere Vantaa Oulu Lahti ;gjj 118 All towns Countryside Whole country Towns vs. countryside. The results of Table I suggest that drivers from the countryside apparently more often were arrested in the towns than vice versa. In addition to the previous comments the location of the shops of the State Alcohol Monopoly (ALKO) in towns and larger population centres may have an effect, too. 222

6 A slight increase in the number of drunken drivers was detected for rural areas during the summer (vacation) months as compared to the towns. The situation was reversed during the autumn and the winter. Persons living abroad make up for the difference in results between the place of arrest and the place of residence for the whole country (83 % v s. 81 %). Profile of male drunken drivers Age. There was a strong concentration of suspects to younger age (Figure 4), and the age group of was markedly overrepresented (58 %) as compared to the corresponding total male population (40 %). The age distributions of the suspected drunken drivers were similar in different areas of the country. % Figure k Distribution by age. The dotted line indicates the corresponding age groups in the male Finnish population Profession. More than half of the cases were skilled manual workers (Table II). The largest subgroups were those connected to building and industry. About 6.7 % of all suspects were professional car drivers which corresponds to their rate in the adult male population. Some clear regional differences were found. As can 223

7 TABLE II Main groups of professions Persons in leading professions 1.3 Persons holding an office, or with a higher education ^.5 Private enterprisers 6.7 Skilled manual workers, office personnel (lower level) 57-5 Unskilled or non-occupational persons or students 30.0 Total o] fa be expected, more persons working in agriculture and forestry were arrested in the countryside than in the towns (7.4 and 1.7 %, respectively). On the other hand, the southern part of Finland with its many towns had a higher incidence of white-collar workers involved in drunken driving than the other parts of the country. Vehicle. The number of vehicles used by the suspected drunken drivers is presented in Table III. The rates for lorries and busses, which are used in professional driving, were relatively low. This result is further augmented by the fact that lorries and busses are in a heavier use than the other types of motor vehicles. The results presented above show that the rate of professional drivers involved in drunken driving corresponded to their rate in the population despite of the fact that they are on the wheels professionally. All these results suggest that the rate of professional drivers involved in drunken driving is relatively low. TABLE III Numbers and rates of vehicles used by male drunken drivers Type of vehicle n Rate per 1,000 corresponding registered vehicles Car 1k,S2o lit Lorry u 10 8 Van 1,0U3 12 Bus 62 HH Motorcycle Moped 1, On the other hand, the control excerted by the police 224

8 varies for different types of traffic which also may have an effect. On the regional level, the rates by all types of vehicles were smaller in the province of Vaasa than elsewhere, suggesting a lower rate of drunken driving in that province, as commented on previously. Blood alcohol concentration Distribution curve. The slightly assymetrical distribution of the BAC with the peak at 1.8 o/oo of the total material (n = 19,136) arrested by the police is shown in Figure 5. It markedly deviates from the curve based on the road-side surveys which indicates the real situation prevailing in the traffic (8). That curve is characterized by a steeply decreasing slope at lower BAC values and a low rate of cases with high ethanol concentrations. % Figure 5 BAC distribution with cumulative percentiles In almost half of the present material the arrested drivers were breathalyzed by Alcolmeter MT-1 pocket model. This certainly has had an effect on the numbers of cases accumulated at the BAC values around the lower statutory limit (0.5 o/oo). Grave errors of driving and accidents leading to an arrest are more prevalent at 225

9 higher than at low BAC values, and greatly affect the form of the curve. The existence of the "sore thumb effect" (3), i.e. the accumulation of cases close to the statutory limits (in Finland 0.50 and 1.50 o/oo),could not be confirmed in this material. Time. No obvious differences could be found between the BAC distribution pattern for the different months, nor for the days of the week. The variation in the BAC patterns of the different times of the day was quite evident (Figures 6-9). The domination of low BAC values especially typical of the morning is probably related to the drinking during the previous night whereas drinking and driving are more closely related in time during other times of the day. I / I % Figures 6-9 BAC distributions at different times of the day 226

10 Towns vs. countryside. No significant differences in the BAC distributions could be seen between the provinces and large towns. Age. The BAC distributions varied significantly with the age of the suspects. In general, low BAC values were characteristic of young drivers, as shown for two age groups in Figure 10. The age-related trends are clearly displayed by the mode and different percentiles in Figure 11. The variations can mainly be explained by the % Figure 10 BAC distribution patterns for two age groups Figure 11 ' BAC distributions with cumulative percentiles for different age groups 227

11 differences in use and/or tolerance to alcohol at various age. Profession. The BAC curves were similar for various groups of professions with the exception of students and high-school students. The mean BAC values were low for these groups and are in accordance with the previously mentioned age-related findings for young drunken drivers. Vehicle. The BAC distribution curves for the drivers of different types of vehicles are presented in Figures The BAC curves for the drivers of the % Figures BAC distributions for drivers of various types of vehicles 228

12 lorries and busses differed markedly from the general trend by being skewed to the lower values. The patterns greatly resembled the day-time results (Figure 8) thus coinciding with the arresting time of most of these cases. A similar trend was found for motorcyclists, too. Female drunken drivers The present results indicate that the attitude of females to drinking and driving differed significantly from that of males. About 2.5 % of all suspected drunken drivers were females. This is approximately one fourth of their relative proportion in motorized road traffic (8). On the whole, similar features were characteristic of the female drunken drivers as have been presented for the males, with the following exceptions: The relative number of the arrested female suspects was slightly higher during weekends and bank holidays than the corresponding rates for males. There was a slight difference in the age distribution between males and females (Table IV). The females differed greatly from the males by their profession. Most women were working in offices or comparable places (25 %), had a service profession (13 %), and almost one fourth (22 %) of the females - mostly housewives - had no profession. TABLE IV Age of suspected drunken drivers. Males n = , females n = 487 Age year Males % Females % fpl 0.6 Total

13 The BAC distribution patterns of the females by time, region, and age were quite similar to those for males/ though shifted towards lower concentration levels. DISCUSSION Numerous variables describing the driver and the driving situation were examined and interpreted in this study covering the whole country during a definite time period. It was thus possible to overcome some of the limitations, either in the low number of cases,restricted areal extension or few discussed relationships, of previous statistical studies on drunken driving in Finland (1,2,5,6,7). This report gives the overall profile as well as many details about the present state of drunken driving in Finland from the statistical point of view. The results of this study revealed that the present profile of drunken driving based on the statistics in many respects resembles the one reported in the studies cited above. The time-related differences with an accumulation of cases to the warmer seasons, as well as to the weekends and the night time have remained very similar. The typical Finnish drunken driver is a young male skilled manual worker. He is driving a car in his leisure time, and when arrested, he has a fairly high BAC level. The recent introduction of the breathalyzer for field use by the police has not essentially changed the BAC pattern of the arrested drunken drivers which for decades has shown the peak at o/oo. However, some clear long-term changes have occurred. The relative proportion of young drivers has increased in addition to the great rise in the total number of suspected drunken male drivers. With the young persons the relative proportion of the mopeds used by the drunken drivers has increased. The rate of females has also slightly increased but it is still low. However, their general profile greatly resembles that of the 230

14 males, as was found in this study. Two new major areas of analysis in this report were the analysis of the BAC patterns and the regional comparisons. The BAC distribution patterns were very similar for most variables studied, such as the provinces, larger towns and the countryside, various months and days of the month and the week, most age groups, males and females and various groups of professions. On the other hand, considerable differences were found in the rate of drunken drivers. Such differences were seen between the towns and countryside and the largest towns and some provinces despite of the similarity in the local distributions of the drivers by the time of arrest, the age, the sex, the BAC and the vehicle used. It is commonly accepted that only a minor proportion of all drunken drivers are caught by the police. The results of the accompanying road-side study with a totally different BAC curve skewed to the low values (8) support this view, too. Therefore, in spite of the fact that some obvious causes for the deviations of the BAC values and the regional differences from the general trend have been discussed in the comments on the results, the exploit of these results is more complex. One hypothesis for these studies was that changes is society, especially such as the augmented consumption of alcohol and the increased motorization and urbanization of the country, are reflected in the profile of drunken driving. Therefore, long-term comparisons between these parameters are necessary and can give additional information e.g. of the reasons to the regional differences found in this study. This analysis is in progress and the results will be published later. However, on the basis of the present results some conclusions may be drawn. The similarity of most parameters of drunken drivers and the driving situation as well as the similar BAC patterns between various regions support the view 231

15 that the profile of the event of being caught statistically has been very similar in all areas of Finland. Although this is principally affected by the activity of the police the following comparisons suggest that real regional differences in the rate of drunken drivers obviously exist. The examination of regional differences showed an obvious connection between alcohol consumption and number of arrested drivers. Lower rates of drunken driving were found in the regions with a low alcohol consumption. Thus, the total amount of alcoholic beverages sold through the Alchol Monopoly was 6.3 litres of absolute alcohol per person for the whole country in 1977 but only 4.0 for the province of Vaasa and 5.5 for Aland. These provinces had the lowest rates of drunken driving, too. Also, the concentration of the sales of alcoholic beverages to larger population centres has an increasing effect on the local consumption which is reflected as a higher rate of arrests in towns than in the countryside, as was found in this study. Clear exceptions from the general pattern were found in this study in the BAC distributions for the drivers caught in the morning and the day, and for young persons and drivers of larger vehicles and motorcycles. In all these cases the trend was similar, i.e. skewing of the curve to the lower BAC levels, suggesting that the mechanism of being caught differs from the general pattern. Therefore, analysis of the actual cause of arrest with the present variables is necessary and is in progress for a part of this material. In the case of young persons the differences in use and tolerance of alcohol can readily explain the result. REFERENCES 1. Aarvala, A., Rattijuoppous Helsingissa. Rattijuoppoudesta Helsingissa vuosina 1958, 1960 ja 1961 syytetyt 232

16 miehet, Alkoholipoliittisen tutkimuslaitoksen tutkimusseloste 30, pp , Helsinki Alha, A. and Hjelt, E., Oikeuslaaketieteellisesta huraalatilatutkimuksesta Suomessa, Lakimies, 13-30, Helsinki Blennerhassett, F., (chairman), Drinking and Driving. Report of the Departmental Committee, Dpt. of the- Environment, HMSO, London 19 76, p Elg, P. and Portman, M., Experience with an ADHmethod for the determination of blood alcohol concentration using the LKB 2086 Reaction Rate Analyzer, Blutalkohol, 17: , Ellila, R., Trunkenheit am Steuer in Finnland , Veroffentlichungen des Instituts fur Strafrecht der Universitat Helsinki 1/1973, 23 pp., Helsinki Kotila, J., Rattijuoppouden sosiaalinen tausta. Taljan tutkimuksia 14, 63 pp., Helsinki Maki, M. and Linnoila, M., Helsingin liikennejuopumuk sen ominaispiirteita, Liikenneturvan tutkimuksia 32, 33 pp., Penttila, A., Aas, K., Nevala, P., Piipponen, S. and Pikkarainen, J., Drunken driving in Finland II. The profile and frequency based on road-side surveys, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, 18 pp., Stockholm