D. N. JONES. The Hoad Safety Act 1967 made it an offence for anyone driving or being

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1 Results of the working of the Road Safety Aot 1967) Part I, in the North '.Vest of England and North "Iales over the first complete year of its operation. D. N. JONES The Hoad Safety Act 1967 made it an offence for anyone driving or being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle on the roads of England) Scotland and Hales to have more than 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his/her blood or more than 107 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his/her urine. The Act came into force on the 9^h October 1967 and this paper summarises the results of the working of the Aot in those cases dealt with by the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory Preston during the first year of the Act's operation. The Preston Laboratory is situated in the Horth.Vest of England and the area that it serves extends from the Scottish border to Mid Wales including the Counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire, Cheshire, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Caernarvonshire, Anglesey, Merionethshire and the Isle of Man. It includes the big cities of Liverpool and Manchester, the many smaller industrial towns scattered through the area, the holiday areas of the English Lake District and the Snowdonia Rational Park together with the seaside holiday resorts of Morecambe, Blackpool and Southport and the liorth Wales coastal resorts. The total population according to the latest available information approaches 8,000,000 the greater part of which is to be found in the South and Sast Lancashire conurbations. During the first year's operation of the Act the laboratory was asked to analyse blood or urine in 4,222 cases, 3950 blood samples and 272 urine (second sample only^» V.9

2 Table I Distribution of blood alcohol figures in milligrammes per 100 millilitres. Not enough blood for analysis Under Over * * Most received in the first two months. Table XI Distribution of blood alcohol fifture3 in milligrammes per 100 Millilitres where analysis was possible. Under Over ? 5.4# 7.1# 8.5# 29.t# # 100.1# More surprising than the total of 14«4$ of figures under 80 milligrammes is the 1.9# under 30. The relatively low 8.57» between is also worthy of note. Table III Distribution of urine alcohol figures in milligrammes per 100 millilitres using a blood alcohol to urine alcohol ratios of 3/4 Urine alcohol figure 107 and under Over 266 Calculated Blood alcohol figure Over # # # $ # There is reasonably close agreement between the distribution of the blood alcohol concentrations and those of urine alcohol using the 3/4 ratio:» therefore, in all figures quoted later no attempt will be made to distinguish between blood, and urine figures, all urine figures being converted to blood figures.

3 In the first week of the Act's operation, taking into account only those cases where the alcohol figure was over 80 milligrammes/100 millilitres blood the average figure was found to be for 34 cases. During the next few weeks both the case numbers and average figure rose gradually reaching a peak of for 102 oases for the week ending 24th December 1967» This week's total was not exceeded at any time in the year. It will be seen from Table TV that there has been a steady rise in the number of cases throughout the year. The abnormal increases shown in May and August probably refleot early and late holiday periods and also the fact that these figures actually give the total of five weeks as do those for November and February. TABLE IV Average reported blood alcohol figures for the year October September 1968 Month Oct Nov Deo Jan Feb March Apr Kay June July Aug Sep- Monthly case total Monthly average L < Quarterly case t o r " Q u a r t e r l y average Year's case total 3519* Tear's average * Not including oases after 30th September 1968, V. 11

4 The year's average for urine cases (calculated as a blood figure) was for 232 cases. The case numbers have continued to increase and at the end of June of this year the total number of cases is 20/i greater than at the same time labt year. The total case number for June 1969 is 502 but the average for 100 cases in June is 156.9«TABLE V Ane iî,roup distribution in all cases. Age 20 and under Over 40 Age unknown ^ ^ 21.4V» » One of the most disturbing features is the percentage of those 20 years of age and under whose alcohol level was investigated. TABLE VI Distribution of blood alcohol levels in drivera 20.years of age and under. Under Over J6 12.7/ i 38.4^ 18.6J loo.oji It is true that 26^ of those investigated showed blood alcohol levels of under 80 milligrammes/100 millilitres but the faot that this is a much higher percentage than the average of 14.4$ (Table II) can only be taken as a further indication, if this were required, of the danger of comparatively low blood alcohol levels in young people. Most of those with these low levels of blood alcohol were stopped by the police because of obvious driving faults. V. 12

5 Referring again to Table II it can only be considered a matter of grave concern that 18.8$ of those tested and found to have over 80 milligrammes/loo millilitres blood alcohol had, in fact, over 200 milligrammes/loo millilitres blood alcohol. The highest figure recorded was 376 milligrammes/loo millilitres. TABLE VII Distribution of Age Groups in the over 200 milligrammes blood alcohol level. Age 20 and under Over % 31.2$ 31.1$ 34. % 100. Of, This distribution suggests that the heaviest drinfcers are to be found amongst those over 40 and this point is emphasized when comparisonis made between the percentages of the various age groups with appreciable numbers with more than 200 milligrammes/100 millilitres blood alcohol. TABLE VIII Age group totals with more than 200 milligrammes /loo millilitres blood alcohol. Age: Over 40 Over 200 mgms See Table VII 17, See Table V $ of total 13.4$ 25.1% 29.8$

6 Of the 4,222 oases submitted only 35 f the people concerned were female and none of these supplied urine for analysis. TABLE IX Blood alcohol levels in Females 80 and under Over 200 Not enough blood TATÆ.B X Age Group distribution in Females Age 20 and under Over Eight of the sixteen females over Æ.0 years of age had blood alcohol figures of over 200 and five of the remaining eight had figures of between milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood. The average figure for females was I84.3. This is an even higher blood alcohol average than is shown in the older males but the actual number of women is very small and suggests that the drinking woman driver is not a problem in North West ïhglanà and North Wales. TAW'^ XI Season for the drivèr coming to the notice of the Police Manner of Driving Traffic Accident Other motoring offences % $ V. 1*

7 TABLE XII Distribution of blood alcohol levels in drivers involved in accidents 80 and under Over $ $ 26.3/o /o 100.0$ These figures show a remarkably close agreement with those in Table II and may only serve to emphasize that all drinking drivers are likely to be involved in accidents. It was not surprising to find that nearly all the cases were detected by the police after 10 p.m. The British conditioned drinking habits make this certain. In fact 37-4$ of all cases were found between 10 p.m. and midnight and 45-9$ after midnight. The remaining 16.7$ were detected during the hours of daylight and up to 10 p.m. A review of 120 cases in June 1969 shows that the pattern established last year remains practically unaltered even to the point that the two females who were arrested both were over 40 years of age, both gave blood for analysis, and the blood alcohol figure in both was over 200 milligrammes per 100 millilitres. The younger end of the age scale is still responsible for the majority of the cases and the older end produced the higher figures. Let us hope that education and legislation together may eventually change this pattern for the better. David Noel JONES, M.So.,F.L.S.,F.I.Biol Director, Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory, (North Wester Region) Jordan Street, PRESTON. Lancs. England.