Daily Drinking and Drunken Driving

Abstract

In a study of 3 658 drunken drivers, it was found that eight percent reported daily drinking of alcohol, 82% reported no daily drinking, and 10% gave no information about drinking frequency. Measurements of gamma glutamyl-transferase (a biological marker for heavy drinking) in a selection of blood samples from drunken drivers reporting daily drinking, indicated that the majority of these drivers were heavy drinkers. The drunken drivers who reported daily drinking, had higher blood alcohol concentrations, were responsible for a larger number of previously detected drunken driving offences, and were more prone to being arrested for drunken driving during working days and during daylight hours than other drunken drivers. Among the repeating offenders, it was estimated that 13% would report daily drinking, and 74% would not.