The hazardous (mis)perception of Self-estimated Alcohol intoxication and Fitness to drivE-an avoidable health risk: the SAFE randomised trial.
Publication Date
2021-12-07Journal Title
Harm Reduct J
ISSN
1477-7517
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
18
Issue
1
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Köchling, J., Geis, B., Chao, C., Dieks, J., Wirth, S., & Hensel, K. O. (2021). The hazardous (mis)perception of Self-estimated Alcohol intoxication and Fitness to drivE-an avoidable health risk: the SAFE randomised trial.. Harm Reduct J, 18 (1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00567-4
Description
Funder: Carlsberg GmbH
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, alcohol-related road traffic accidents represent a major avoidable health risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of self-estimating the degree of acute alcohol intoxication regarding the legal driving limit, and to identify risk factors for misjudgement. METHODS: In this prospective randomised controlled crossover trial, 90 social drinkers (mean age 23.9 ± 3.5 years, 50% female) consumed either beer or wine. Study group subjects were made aware when exceeding the legal driving limit (BrAC = 0.05%). Controls received no information about their BrAC. For crossover, beer or wine were consumed in the opposite order. RESULTS: 39-53% of all participants exceeded the legal driving limit whilst under the impression to be still permitted to drive. Self-estimation was significantly more accurate on study day 2 (p = 0.009). Increasing BrAC positively correlated with self-estimation inaccuracy, which was reproducible during crossover. Multiple regression analysis revealed fast drinking and higher alcohol levels as independent risk factors for inaccurate self-estimation. CONCLUSIONS: Social drinkers are commonly unaware of exceeding the legal driving limit when consuming alcohol. Self-estimating alcohol intoxication can be improved through awareness. Dedicated awareness programs, social media campaigns and government advice communications should be utilised to address this avoidable hazard. Trial registration The trial was registered prospectively at the Witten/Herdecke University Ethics Committee (trial registration number 140/2016 on 04/11/2016) and at the DRKS-German Clinical Trials Register (trial registration number DRKS00015285 on 08/22/2018-Retrospectively registered). Trial protocol can be accessed online.
Keywords
Research, DRKS00015285, DRKS, Alcohol Harm Reduction 2021 and Beyond: Current Status of Policy, Programs and Practices, Perceived alcohol intoxication, Road safety, Public health concern, Alcohol-related road traffic accident, Driving under the influence, DUI, Drink-driving
Identifiers
s12954-021-00567-4, 567
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00567-4
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/337087
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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