Abstract
Young drivers are overrepresented in collisions resulting in fatalities. It is not uncommon for young drivers to socially binge drink and decide to drive a vehicle a few hours after consumption. To better understand the risks that may be associated with this behaviour, the present study has examined the effects of a social drinking bout followed by a simulated drive in undergraduate students on the descending limb of their BAC (blood alcohol concentration) curve. Two groups of eight undergraduate students (n = 16) took part in this study. Participants in the alcohol group were assessed before drinking, then at moderate and low BAC as well as 24 hours post-acute consumption. This group consumed an average of 5.3 ± 1.4 (mean ± SD) drinks in an hour in a social context and were then submitted to a driving and a predicted crash risk assessment. The control group was assessed at the same time points without alcohol intake or social context.; at 8 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. the next morning. These multiple time points were used to measure any potential learning effects from the assessment tools (i.e. driving simulator and useful field of view test (UFOV)). Diminished driving performance at moderate BAC was observed with no increases in predicted crash risk. Moderate correlations between driving variables were observed. No association exists between driving variables and UFOV variables. The control group improved measures of selective attention after the third asessement. No learning effect was observed from multiple sessions with the driving simulator. Our results show that a moderate BAC, although legal, increases the risky behaviour. Effects of alcohol expectancy could have been displayed by the experimental group. UFOV measures and predicted crash risk categories were not sentitive enough to predict crash risk for young drivers, even when intoxicated.
Highlights
Young driver education, training programs, and legislative changes have been successful at decreasing the number of collisions over the last few decades [1,2,3]
An experimental design with two groups of young drivers was chosen for observation: 1) the effects of decreasing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on driving performance and crash risk in the first group; and 2) the second group was used to control potential learning effects of multiple sessions with assessment tools
Physiological responses to alcohol were observed, as well as diminished driving performance, but crash risk did not change for all time points (Table 2)
Summary
Young driver education, training programs, and legislative changes have been successful at decreasing the number of collisions over the last few decades [1,2,3]. In New Brunswick (Canadian province on the east coast), since 2009 individuals between the ages of 16 and 21 years must go through a graduated licensing program to obtain a driving permit. They cannot operate motor vehicles between midnight and 5 a.m. There is zero tolerance for alcohol, drivers must have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.0 g/dL. Young drivers remain the most at-risk group of drivers, underscoring the need to further understand the factors underlying collisions in this population
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
