Alcohol involvement in pedestrian accidents in France

Transcription

1 Alcohol involvement in pedestrian accidents in France Helene FONTAINE and Yves GOURLET INRETS, Arcueil, Cedex, FRANCE For 25 years the number o f pedestrians killed on the roads has decreased in France : from 3202 in 1970 it dropped to 1027 in This decrease in the number of pedestrian fatalities is observed in many other countries, and it does not simply reflect the general decrease in the number o f accidents and deaths on the road during that period. In France, pedestrian fatalities represented 21% of all traffic fatalities in 1970 and 12% in In order to have more knowledge of pedestrian accidentology in France, a descriptive analysis of data from police reports was carried out (Fontaine et al, 1995). A typological analysis of pedestrians involved in accidents clearly identifies four groups : pedestrians age 65 or over crossing the road in a built-up area ; children in accidents in built-up areas while running or playing ; pedestrians impaired by alcohol; pedestrians changing of mode, i.e. transition from pedestrian status to another status (driver passenger) or the reverse ; and secondary accidents, i.e. the pedestrian accident occurred subsequent to an initial accident or incident. Two of these types reflect familiar results : the high risk of children and elderly people is already recognised. Among the middle age group, pedestrians impaired by alcohol or changing of mode are over-represented. There is enough at stake for it to appear important to study these types of accident more closely, and our aim here is to present an analysis of the role of alcohol in pedestrian accidents. The data analysed comes from the police reports on injury accidents which serve as a basis for subsequent legal action. These documents are completed by the police for each injury accident, that is to say for each accident where at least one person has been injured or killed in the six days following the accident. An exhaustive collection of fatal-accident reports during the period from March 1990 to February 1991 was made by the LAB of French car manufacturers PSA/Renault. The results presented here concern 1289 pedestrians killed in these accidents. Size of the problem There is no legal alcohol limit for pedestrians although this information should be sought when alcohol consumption is presumed. In practical terms, this also means that drivers can be exempted from partial or total responsibility if the pedestrian is impaired by alcohol

2 1136 o f the pedestrians in our file, were at least 16 years old. Blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) were known for 585 pedestrians and 203 were above the legal rate for drivers at the time of the data collection (BAC>0.8g/I). The BAC is therefore known for 51% of adult pedestrians. In relation to the overall number of adult pedestrians killed, the alcohol concentrations above 0.8g/l account for 18%, and in relation to the results known, they account for 35%. Applying either one o f these rates to the overall pedestrian population corresponds to different hypotheses. In the first case, we suppose that there is no blood test when there is virtually no likelihood of the pedestrian having drunk (as in the case of children for example). Thus our hypothesis is that the unknown results correspond to non-drinkers or low-drinkers (BAC<0.8g/l). In the second case, we suppose that the population for whom we have no information from blood tests is like the population for whom the results o f blood tests are known. Here, we make the hypothesis that the breakdown of the unknown results is the same as that of the known results. In order to validate either one of these hypotheses, we would need to have more information about the practices of the police concerning pedestrians. Taking the accident rather than the pedestrian as the basis, i.e. blood alcohol concentration among pedestrian victims over 16 years of age and/or among drivers involved in pedestrian accidents, alcohol concentrations over 0.8g/l represent 43% of known cases. An analysis of police reports from 1990 to 1994 compared BAC o f drivers involved in accidents of any sort (with or without pedestrian), according to the type of the vehicle driven (Fontaine and Gourlet, 1996). The results given in table 1 show that alcohol levels are more frequently tested in the case of lorry drivers than for the drivers o f passenger cars and those riding two-wheeled vehicles. Table 1 : Percentage o f known results and those w hich are over the legal lim it for different types o f drivers and for pedestrians percentage of users with known BAC pedestrians* 51% 35% two-wheelers** 55% 27% cars** 76% 2 1 % percentage of all known results which are over the legal limit lorries** 91% 3% * killed in accident between March 1990 and February 1991 ** involved in fatal accident between 1990 and 1994 (Fontaine and Gourlet, 1996) Lorry drivers are the group with the lowest percentage of alcohol levels over the legal limit. More than a quarter o f those riding two-wheeled vehicles who are involved in a fatal accident

3 are over the legal limit for alcohol, but we should bear in mind that the alcohol level is only known for 55% in this category. Under reporting of BAC and illegal results are more frequent among pedestrian than among drivers, whatever the vehicle type. Screening practices and characteristics of impaired pedestrians Table 2 gives the main characteristics of impaired pedestrians. It presents the percentage of killed pedestrians with known results related to all adult pedestrians and the percentage of intoxicated pedestrians (>0.8 g/l) related to known results. Table 2 : Characteristics of impaired pedestrians Pedestrians aged 16 or more killed in traffic accidents all with known BAC with BAC>0.8g/l n n as a % of n as a % of whole known BAC rural area % % urban area % 74 23% night % % day % % 16 to 29 yr % 37 42% 30 to 44 yr % 70 60% 45 to 64 yr % 70 47% >65 yr % % male % % female % 25 14% executive, % % middle manager white-collar % 16 36% blue-collar % 48 52% retired % 37 15% unemployed % 25 74% other, unknown % 71 50% all ped.>16 y % % BAC are better known in rural than in built-up areas (61% and 45% respectively). Intoxicated pedestrians (>0.8g/l) are found more frequently in the countryside (48%) than in the city (23%). Out o f 10 accidents with intoxicated pedestrians (>0.8g/l), 9 occur at night (as coded by the police according to the darkness). The BAC for pedestrians in night-time accidents is known in 58% of cases. This information level is higher than that for all accidents to pedestrians age 16 or over, which may suggest that blood samples are taken more often when there is reason to

4 suspect that the pedestrian has been drinking. In the night-time accidents 47% of the pedestrians whose blood was tested, had alcohol concentration over 0.8 g/1. Very high blood levels (in excess o f 2 g/1) were over-represented in night-time accidents : 28%, compared with 2 1 % in all accidents. The age group in which most excess alcohol concentrations (60% of known BAC) are found is the age group. The information rate varies from one age group to another, and is lowest for elderly people (48%). This confirms the hypothesis that blood tests are not performed randomly (or that the information feedback is not at random). Analysis of the BAC of pedestrians age 16 or over according to sex, shows that the information rate is higher for men (59%) than for women (39%). It is possible that the police are less likely to suspect a woman than a man of having been drinking, or that the pre-accident behaviour of male pedestrians as reported by eye-witnesses more frequently suggests drunkenness. BAC over 0.8 g/1 is much more frequent in male than in female pedestrians : 43% versus 14% of the known concentrations. Intoxicated pedestrians are more represented in low social groups such as unemployed (74% with BAC>0.8g/l) and blue-collar (52% with BAC>0.8g/l). Although, the influence o f alcohol is small among the retired (15% with BAC>0.8g/l). Comparison with the United Kingdom These results are similar in other countries (Stewart, 1995). A Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) report (Everest, 1992) mentions an analysis of BAC results for pedestrians in accidents between 1985 and O f a total of 7350 pedestrians age 16 or over killed during this period, results were available for 3300 (45%). The British study covers only those pedestrians who died within 1 2 hours, to exclude blood tests taken too long after the accident. Comparison of BAC among pedestrians age 16 or over in France and the U.K. (table 3) shows higher levels in France, especially over 2 g/1 of blood (21% in France, 16% in the U.K.)

5 Table 3 : BAC of fatally injured pedestrians in France and the United Kingdom France (March 90 to February 91) United Kingdom (1985 to 1989) population studied >16yr percentage of known results 51% 45% % BAC >0.8g/l 35% 30% > 0. 8 g/1 and <2 g/l 14% 14% >2 g/1 and <3g/l 14% 1 1 % >3g/l 7% 5% In England and France alcohol is a very common factor in pedestrian accidents. The characteristics of intoxicated pedestrians are similar in both countries : high BAC are more frequent among middle aged males, in low social groups, at night, in the country. It should not be forgotten, however, that the results concern only those cases where the blood alcohol concentration of the pedestrians is known, i.e. 51% of pedestrians age 16 or over in France and 45% in the United Kingdom. They cannot strictly be applied to the whole adult pedestrian population, for the data collection methods for pedestrians may be biased. The analyses of the trends made in Australia (Holubowycz, 1995) or in Great Britain (Everest, 1992) indicate that the number of drinking pedestrian fatalities is not decreasing with the time. The risk o f drinking and driving is well-known and drivers are subject to a legal blood (or breath) alcohol limit, but the risk associated with walking when impaired by alcohol is also important and people should be aware of it. CONCLUSION Specific analysis of BAC of pedestrians reveals that the alcohol factor is very present in pedestrian accident. The blood alcohol concentration of pedestrians age 16 or over killed in road accidents is known in 51% of cases. BAC> 0.8 g/1 were found in 18% of pedestrians, or 35% if we consider only those for whom the rates are known. Taking the accident as the basic unit, BAC over 0.8 g/1 were found in driver and/or pedestrian in 43% of the known cases. Accidents involving alcohol generally occur at night, on country roads, with male pedestrians in the 30 to 64 age group and in low social groups. Comparison with the United Kingdom shows the importance of the alcohol factor in pedestrian accidents in both countries, although BAC are higher in France. Most of the criteria that characterise pedestrian accidents with high BAC in France are also found in other countries

6 In the case of pedestrians, blood alcohol testing or the notification of results are not a random matter. Blood tests seem to be done much more frequently when a high alcohol concentration is suspected. There can sometimes be beliefs such as "an elderly woman doesn't drink" which leads to less complete information for this category of user. But these beliefs turn out to be justified when one considers the results o f the alcohol rate : in the police reports file on fatal pedestrian accidents, 252 women are over 65 years and for 95 of them, (that is to say 38%), the alcohol concentration is known, and does not exceed 0.8 g/l in any case. The taking of a blood alcohol testing is often declared to be "impossible" in the case o f women or elderly people, although impossibility on medical grounds is rare (Got, 1989). Ostrbm (1992) showed also that under reporting of alcohol use/non use is more frequent among pedestrians, females, non-at-fault drivers and he stresses the importance o f investigating all traffic fatalities. Increasing awareness of the risk presented by drinking and walking could lead to improve the procedure for identifying alcohol impairment among pedestrians (Miles-Doan, 1996). And information campaigns for pedestrians could be considered in order to stress the dangers involved in drinking even when one is not driving. REFERENCES Everest, J.T. The involvement of alcohol in fatal accidents to adult pedestrians. Research report 343 Transport Research Laboratory, Crowthome, Bershire; Fontaine, H.; Gourlet, G. Mobilite et accidents, annee Rapport de convention INRETS/DSCR n 9606, Arcueil, France; Fontaine, H.; Gourlet, Y.; Ziani, A. Les accidents de pietons - analyse typologique. Rapport INRETS n 201. Arcueil, France; Got, C. Alcool et accidents de la circulation. Actes du Seminaire International de Ham bourg, 1-3 juin 1988 ; La securite routiere, avant tout une question de responsabilite. CEMT : 57-82; Holubowycz, O.T. Age, sex and blood alcohol concentration o f killed and injured pedestrians. Accid. Anal. Prev. 27: ; Miles-Doan, R. Alcohol use among pedestrians and the odds o f surviving an injury : evidences from Florida law enforcement data. Accid. Anal. Prev. 28:23-31; Ostrbm, M.; Huelke, D.F.; Waller, P.F.; Eriksson, A.; Blow, F. Some biases in the alcohol investigative process in traffic fatalities. Accid. Anal. Prev. 24: ; Stewart, K. Report of the ICADTS working group on alcohol-involved pedestrians. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety. CN Kloeden and AJ Me Lean, University of AdeIaitie: ;