Breath Alcohol Testing Research Articles

Public Transportation Availability and Alcohol Impaired Driving Among Young Adult Pub Patrons in Israel

Background The availability of public transportation has been studied mainly regarding promoting an active lifestyle and encouraging physical activity. Accessible public transportation near entertainment areas including pubs and restaurants may prevent alcohol-impaired driving (AID) by offering a safe alternative to get back home, as alcohol-impaired driving is a well known risk factor for car crashes and injuries, especially among young adults. The aim of this study was to examine the association between availability of public transportation and young adult pub patrons' intent to drive under the influence of alcohol after exiting pubs. Methods The current study is a cross-sectional survey conducted among 1079 pub patrons between the ages 19-35, exiting one of 31 surveyed pubs in 13 Israeli cities. Sidewalk interviews and breath alcohol tests were performed outside the pubs during weekend nights. Each interviewee was asked first to fill out a paper and pencil survey questionnaire, and then to blow into a Drager Alcotest® 6510 Breath Alcohol Screening Device. In addition, the interviewers also fill in an observation protocol for each pub, including information on the pub's physical environment, and on whether there is an accessible bus station near the pub area operating during the night and on weekends. Results Nine percent of all respondents reported that they intend to drive, although according to their BrAC test they were impaired (BAC >0.05%). The study results indicate that the availability and accessibility of public transportation within the immediate vicinity of the pub may be a protecting factor against AID (OR=0.27, 95%CI=0.08-0.87). Patrons exiting pubs in which there was an accessible public transportation nearby were less likely to intend to drive under the influence of alcohol. Conclusions This study suggests that the existence of public transportation near drinking locations may decrease AID rates among young adult pub patrons.

The effect of non-alcoholic food and beverage consumption on preliminary breath alcohol testing by the Dräger Alcotest 6810 and Alco-Sensor FST

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the frequency, magnitude, and duration of the mouth alcohol effect (MAE) following the ingestion of non-alcoholic food or beverages on two approved screening devices (ASD): the Dräger Alcotest 6810 and Alco-Sensor FST. Preliminary testing revealed only 5% of 39 non-alcohol containing food and beverage items tested produced a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) ≥10 mg/100 mL on the Dräger Alcotest 6810 whereas there were no positive responses on the Alco-Sensor FST. Subsequent testing on 52 subjects consuming Dempster's® White Bread, Wonder™ 100% Whole Wheat Bread, 7-Up® and/or Rockstar® energy drink showed the MAE to be small in both alcohol-free and alcohol-positive subjects. The maximum BrAC produced in an alcohol-free subject was 22 mg/100 mL which dissipated within 90 seconds following ingestion. In alcohol-positive subjects, statistically significant increases in the BrAC were observed following ingestion of select breads and beverages; however, the increase was of sufficiently low magnitude that analytical and sampling variability could account for the differences observed. The MAE following ingestion of non-alcohol-containing food and beverages is rare, transient, and of low magnitude. There is negligible risk that motorists will be negatively impacted by this effect.

Drinking patterns and drunk-driving behaviour in Catalonia, Spain: A comparative study

This study explores three alcohol-related databases so as to provide a comprehensive understanding of drinking patterns and the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving in Catalonia (Spain). The rate of alcohol-impaired drivers is compared with the percentage of drinkers in this population, with a particular focus on heavy episodic drinkers. Two strategies adopted by law enforcement agents when conducting alcohol breath tests are examined: (i) non-random and (ii) random approaches to roadblock location and driver selection. We find that heavy drinker profiles (in terms of age and gender) closely match those of alcohol-impaired drivers detected at strategically located, non-random sobriety checkpoints (especially in the case of female drivers), and that they also correlate with the age-gender distribution of drivers involved in road accidents with victims. Different drink driving patterns are detected when sobriety checkpoints are located randomly and drivers are tested at random. Older drivers are identified as a risk group as they abandon the safer driving habits in relation to alcohol shown when they were middle-aged. A combination of non-random and random controls would increase driver perception of their chances of being detected when drink driving. As such, the whole population, regardless of their drinking profile, would be alerted to the serious personal, social and legal implications of alcohol-impaired driving.

Intervening to decrease the probability of alcohol-impaired driving: Impact of novel field sobriety tests

ABSTRACTThe efficacy of novel field sobriety tests to predict breath alcohol content (BAC) and perceptions of driving risk was evaluated. Participants (N = 210) were passersby at two downtown locations near local bars and one on-campus location near a late-night dining facility between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Participants gave ratings of their perceived risk to drive at their current level of intoxication, then completed three sobriety tests (a hand-pat, tracing test, and Romberg test), and finally provided new ratings of their perceived risk to drive. After completing the final set of questions, participants were administered a Lifeloc FC20 breath alcohol test (±.005 g/dL). Each of the sobriety tests performed better than chance at predicting participant intoxication, but the performance feedback did not enhance awareness of one’s risk to drive at a given BAC. Actually, after the sobriety tests, Greek-life females perceived themselves to be less at-risk to drive.

Radio Frequency Interference messages during breath testing of suspected impaired drivers using the Intoxilyzer® 5000C: A 13-year retrospective analysis

ABSTRACTRetrospective analysis of the incidence of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) exception messages obtained during testing of suspected impaired drivers on the Intoxilyzer® 5000C over a 13-year period (1997 to 2009) was examined in order to address concerns on the hypothetical impact of RFI on breath alcohol testing. RFI messages were rare, occurring in less than 0.48% (n = 128) of the 26,939 drivers tested. Multiple RFI messages were even more infrequent, occurring in only 10.2% of RFI-positive cases (n = 13). There was no significant effect of the incidence of RFI messages attributable to a particular testing location (p = 0.98), a specific instrument (p = 0.98), or year of testing (p = 0.99). In addition, the data show no evidence that hypothetical “undetected” RFI events, in addition to those already detected by the instrument, affected either the calibration check results or the subject breath tests in this study. Instruments are designed with an RFI detection system and shielding to protect the internal electronics against RFI. The breath testing procedure requiring two tests in good agreement (within 20 mg/100 mL truncated) is an additional safeguard against “undetected” RFI impacting the tests, and serves to increase the scientific confidence in the results obtained.

Alcohol breath test: gas exchange issues.

The alcohol breath test is reviewed with a focus on gas exchange factors affecting its accuracy. The basis of the alcohol breath test is the assumption that alveolar air reaches the mouth during exhalation with no change in alcohol concentration. Recent investigations have shown that alcohol concentration is altered during its transit to the mouth. The exhaled alcohol concentration is modified by interaction with the mucosa of the pulmonary airways. Exhaled alcohol concentration is not an accurate indicator of alveolar alcohol concentration. Measuring alcohol concentration in the breath is very different process than measuring a blood level from air equilibrated with a blood sample. Airway exchange of alcohol leads to a bias against certain individuals depending on the anatomic and physiologic characteristics. Methodological modifications are proposed to improve the accuracy of the alcohol breath test to become fair to all.

Breath alcohol of anesthesiologists using alcohol hand gel and the "five moments for hand hygiene" in routine practice.

Appropriate hand hygiene reduces hospital-acquired infections. Anesthesiologists work in environments with numerous hand hygiene opportunities (HHOs). In a prospective observational study, we investigated the potential for an anesthesiologist to return a positive alcohol breath test during routine practice when using alcohol hand gel. We observed ten volunteer anesthesiologists over four hours while they implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) "five moments for hand hygiene" using our hospital's adopted standard 70% ethanol hand gel. We measured the expired alcohol concentration at shift start and every fifteen minutes thereafter with a fuel cell breathalyzer calibrated to measure the percentage of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Blood alcohol specimens (analyzed with gas chromatography) were collected at shift start and, when possible, immediately after a participant's first positive breathalyzer test. Of the 130 breathalyzer tests obtained, there were eight (6.2%) positive breath alcohol results from six of the ten participants, all within two minutes of a HHO. The highest value breathalyzer BAC recorded was 0.064%, with an overall mean (SD) of 0.023 (0.017)%. Five (62.5%) of the positive breathalyzer tests returned to zero in less than seven minutes. All of three blood specimens obtained immediately after a positive breathalyzer reading tested negative for alcohol. Anesthesia practitioners using alcohol hand gel in a manner that conforms with recommended hand hygiene can test positive for alcohol on a breathalyzer assay. Positive tests probably arose from inhalation of alcohol vapour into the respiratory dead space following gel application. If workplace breath testing for alcohol is implemented, it should be completed more than 15 min after applying alcohol hand gel. Positive results should be verified with a BAC test.

Drunk driving offenders’ knowledge and behaviour in relation to alcohol-involved driving in Yinchuan and a comparison with Guangzhou, China

ObjectiveThis study was conducted after a legislative amendment criminalising drunk driving (BAC>80mg/100ml) had been in force for a year and investigated whether drunk driving offenders in Yinchuan, China were aware of the law, and whether their knowledge of and exposure to enforcement and the existence of alcohol use disorders were related to their alcohol-involved driving behaviour. The results were compared with results from an earlier study in Guangzhou, China. MethodA survey was conducted from July to October 2012 in Yinchuan to collect information on drunk driving offenders’ knowledge and practice in relation to alcohol-involved driving. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess hazardous drinking levels. In total, 106 drunk driving offenders were recruited while in detention. The findings were compared with those of the Guangzhou study, where the same procedure was used to recruit 101 drunk driving offenders. ResultsThe mean age of the sample was 31.7years (SD=8.1; range 17–59years). Males constituted 96% of the sample. The mean age at which offenders reported starting to drink alcohol was 18.7years (SD=3.2; range 10–26years). Driver’s licenses had been held for an average of 8.5years. The status of knowledge in relation to alcohol-involved driving in Yinchuan was slightly lower in proportion than in Guangzhou. The rate of alcohol-involved driving reported in the previous 12months in Yinchuan (43%) was slightly higher than in Guangzhou (39%). The proportion of recidivists in Guangzhou (21.8%) was higher than Yinchuan’s (10.4%). On average, offenders had experienced 1.6 police alcohol breath tests in the previous year (SD=1.3; range 1–10). AUDIT scores indicated that a substantial proportion of the offenders had high levels of alcohol use disorders. DiscussionLimited awareness of legal alcohol limits might contribute to drunk driving offences. The high level of alcohol consumption by many offenders suggests that hazardous drinking levels may be a contributor. Recidivist drivers also had higher AUDIT scores, which suggest there may be benefit in using the AUDIT to identify potential drink drivers and recidivists, subject to further research.

Hair ethyl glucuronide and serum carbohydrate deficient transferrin for the assessment of relapse in alcohol-dependent patients

ObjectivesEthyl glucuronide in hair (hEtG) and serum carbohydrate deficient transferrin (%CDT) are valuable markers for alcohol abuse, but their diagnostic accuracy to monitor abstinence and relapse is unclear. Here, we investigate to what extent repeated measurements of hEtG and %CDT can be used to monitor relapse in alcohol-dependent patients during abstinence treatment. Design and methodsHEtG and %CDT were measured in individuals starting treatment for alcohol dependence both at treatment entry and 3months later. Alcohol consumption and relapse episodes were recorded using the Time Line Follow Back and by alcohol breath and urine tests, and correlated with hEtG and %CDT measurements. ResultsFifteen patients completed the study, of which nine had one or more relapses. Hair EtG and serum %CDT identified whether a relapse occurred in 78% and 57% of cases, respectively. Only hEtG correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed before treatment entry (Pearson r=0.92; p<0.001). The specificity of %CDT to assess abstinence during treatment was 100%. HEtG had a specificity of only 17%; however, in all patients who remained abstinent, hEtG decreased with >85% from initial values. Mean hEtG, but not %CDT, differed significantly between patients who relapsed and patients who remained abstinent (p=0.034). ConclusionsHEtG was more sensitive than serum %CDT to assess relapse in alcohol-dependent patients and was positively correlated with the amounts of alcohol consumed. In contrast, serum %CDT was more specific for assessing abstinence. We highlight the benefit of repeated measurements of hEtG and serum %CDT for monitoring abstinence during treatment.

Alcohol-related driving in China: Countermeasure implications of research conducted in two cities

ObjectiveDrunk driving (blood alcohol concentration (BAC) 80mg/100ml) was upgraded to become a criminal offence under China's Criminal Law in May 2011. While this had a major road safety benefit, there was still a high level of alcohol related crashes and fatalities. This paper develops recommendations based on a programme of research undertaken in 2012 that examined the perceptions of general motor vehicle drivers, convicted drunk driving offenders and traffic police about drinking and driving and law enforcement in the cities of Guangzhou and Yinchuan. Alcohol misuse problems were also explored using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). This paper integrates the findings to examine existing problems in alcohol management, law enforcement, education and rehabilitation and provides recommendations for addressing alcohol-related driving in China. MethodsA multi-study cross-sectional research programme was conducted in two Chinese cities involving general drivers, drunk driving offenders and traffic police. In total, 16 traffic police officers were interviewed and 105 traffic police officers were surveyed. In addition, 207 drunk driving offenders in detention facilities and 802 general motor vehicle drivers were surveyed. ResultsTraffic police resources including human resources and facilities such as breathalysers were reported as insufficient in both cities. There were problems reported in the process of law enforcement, and shortcomings in police knowledge of factors involved in drink/drunk driving and in the practice of conducting breath alcohol testing (BAT). Knowledge about legal BAC levels and how to keep under the legal limit was very low among general motor vehicle drivers and drunk driving offenders. Proportions with alcohol misuse problems in the two driver groups were high, especially among offenders. ConclusionsRecommendations to manage alcohol-related driving are proposed for the three groups of traffic police, general motor vehicle drivers and drunk driving offenders. In particular, traffic police resources need to be improved and further education provided to police on the general deterrence potential of BAT. There should be enhanced community education and publicity to improve knowledge of drink driving regulations and how to avoid breaking the law. Alcohol misuse problems should be addressed, particularly for drunk driving offenders.

A Priori Evaluation of Policy Measures Against Alcohol-Impaired Driving: French Case Study

On one hand, drinking and driving is an ever-growing concern for decision makers. On the other hand, stated preference (SP) surveys have rarely been used to assess the effectiveness of legislative road safety measures. The objective of this paper was to explore the potential impact of an intended safety measure on the behavior of French drivers. In particular, this study investigated the obligation of all drivers always to keep in their vehicles an individual one-use breath alcohol test device. For this purpose, an SP survey was designed and undertaken to elicit individuals’ preferences. Ordered probit models were specified on the responses of 240 young drinkers and drivers in the Paris region. Results indicate two factors as being the most influential: ( a) unemployment and ( b) believing that the new legislation is proposed on public revenue grounds. In particular, both factors cause individuals to reject the legislation, which therefore has a trivial impact on their stated behavior. Targeted communication campaigns should be designed to grow awareness and convince drivers of the beneficial road safety outcomes.

Cultural values and random breath tests as moderators of the social influence on drunk driving in 15 countries

IntroductionThe social influence on drunk driving has been previously observed in several countries. It is noteworthy, however, that the prevalence of alcohol in road fatalities is not the same in all countries. The present study aimed to explore whether cultural values and the number of roadside breath tests moderate the link between the perceived drunk driving of one's peers and self-reported behavior. MethodsBased on the European survey SARTRE 4, the responses of 10,023 car drivers from 15 countries were analyzed. Two cultural values, “tradition” and “conformism,” were identified as possibly being linked to social influence. Country scores for these values were taken from the European Social Survey. The number of random roadside breath tests per inhabitant was used as an indicator of drunk-driving enforcement in each country. ResultsA hierarchical multilevel modeling analysis confirmed the link between friends' drunk driving and one's own drunk driving in all countries, but the strength of the link was much stronger in some countries (e.g., Italy, Cyprus, and Israel) than in others (e.g., Finland, Estonia, and Sweden). Both the measured value of “tradition” and the number of alcohol breath tests were found to moderate the link between friends' and one's own drunk driving. Practical ApplicationsEuropean stakeholders should take into account cultural specificities of target countries when designing campaigns against drunk driving.

Predicting perceived safety to drive the morning after drinking: The importance of hangover symptoms.

People driving the day after drinking are at risk of impaired performance and accidents due to continued intoxication or the effects of alcohol hangover. Drivers are poor at estimating their own blood alcohol concentration, and some drive despite believing they are over the legal limit. It is therefore important to identify other factors influencing perceived ability to drive 'the morning after'. This study tested how accurately participants estimated their legal driving status, and the contribution of beliefs and hangover symptoms to the prediction of perceived driving safety. This cross-sectional study involved 193 students completing a questionnaire and alcohol breath test the morning after heavy alcohol consumption. Indicators of subjective intoxication, severity of hangover symptoms, estimated legal status and perceived safety to drive were measured. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted. No participants thought they were under the English legal limit when they were not, and 47% thought they were over the limit when they were in fact legally permissible to drive. However, 20% of those believing they were over the limit nevertheless rated themselves as safe to drive. Hangover symptoms added 17% variance to the prediction of perceived safety to drive, over and above objective and subjective measures of intoxication. Perceived severity of hangover symptoms influence beliefs about driving ability: When judging safety to drive, people experiencing less severe symptoms believe they are less impaired. If this finding is robust, health promotion campaigns should aim to correct this misapprehension. [Cameron E, French D. Predicting perceived safety to drive the morning after drinking: The importance of hangover symptoms. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:442-446].

General Motor Vehicle Drivers’ Knowledge and Practices Regarding Drink Driving in Yinchuan and Guangzhou, China

Objective: Drink driving contributes to significant levels of injury and economic loss in China but is not well researched. This study examined knowledge, drink-driving practices, and alcohol misuse problems among general drivers in Yinchuan. The objectives were to gain a better understanding of drink driving in Yinchuan, identify areas that need to be addressed, and compare the results with a similar study in Guangzhou.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a survey designed to collect information on participants’ demographic characteristics and their knowledge and practices in relation to drinking and driving. The survey was composed of questions on knowledge and practices in relation to drink driving and was administered to a convenience sample of 406 drivers. Alcohol misuse problems were assessed by using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).Results: Males accounted for the main proportion of drivers sampled from the general population (“general drivers”). A majority of general drivers in both cities knew that drunk driving had become a criminal offense in 2011; however, knowledge of 2 legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits was quite low. Fewer drivers in Yinchuan (22.6%) than in Guangzhou (27.9) reported having been stopped by police conducting breath alcohol testing at least once in the last 12 months. The mean AUDIT score in Yinchuan (M = 8.2) was higher than that in Guangzhou (M = 7.4), and the proportion of Yinchuan drivers with medium or higher alcohol misuse problems (31.2%) was correspondingly higher than in Guangzhou (23.1%). In Yinchuan, males had a significantly higher AUDIT score than females (t = 3.454, P <.001), similar to Guangzhou. Multiple regression analyses were conducted on potential predictors of the AUDIT score (age, gender, monthly income, education level, years licensed, and age started drinking). There were significant individual contributions of gender (beta = 0.173, P =.09) and age at which drinking started (beta = 0.141, P =.033), but the overall model for Yinchuan was not significant, unlike Guangzhou.Conclusions: The results show that there are shortfalls in knowledge of the legislation and how to comply with it and deficiencies in police enforcement. In addition, there was evidence of drink driving and drink riding at high levels in both cities. Recommendations are made to address these issues.

Assessment of the breath alcohol concentration in emergency care patients with different level of consciousness.

BackgroundMany patients seeking emergency care are under the influence of alcohol, which in many cases implies a differential diagnostic problem. For this reason early objective alcohol screening is of importance not to falsely assign the medical condition to intake of alcohol and thus secure a correct medical assessment.ObjectiveAt two emergency departments, demonstrate the feasibility of accurate breath alcohol testing in emergency patients with different levels of cooperation.MethodAssessment of the correlation and ratio between the venous blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measured in adult emergency care patients. The BrAC was measured with a breathalyzer prototype based on infrared spectroscopy, which uses the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in the exhaled air as a quality indicator.ResultEighty-eight patients enrolled (mean 45 years, 53 men, 35 women) performed 201 breath tests in total. For 51% of the patients intoxication from alcohol or tablets was considered to be the main reason for seeking medical care. Twenty-seven percent of the patients were found to have a BAC of <0.04 mg/g. With use of a common conversion factor of 2100:1 between BAC and BrAC an increased agreement with BAC was found when the level of pCO2 was used to estimate the end-expiratory BrAC (underestimation of 6%, r = 0.94), as compared to the BrAC measured in the expired breath (underestimation of 26%, r = 0.94). Performance of a forced or a non-forced expiration was not found to have a significant effect (p = 0.09) on the bias between the BAC and the BrAC estimated with use of the level of CO2. A variation corresponding to a BAC of 0.3 mg/g was found between two sequential breath tests, which is not considered to be of clinical significance.ConclusionWith use of the expired pCO2 as a quality marker the BrAC can be reliably assessed in emergency care patients regardless of their cooperation, and type and length of the expiration.

Detection of mouth alcohol during breath alcohol analysis

The presence of mouth alcohol (MA) during alcohol breath test for law enforcement is the most common cause of falsely high breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC). A fast and reliable test for detection of MA roadside at the scene of the act would facilitate the police efforts for proper prosecution. A tentative technique to use orally exhaled water vapour as a reference gas to position the origin of alcohol was validated. BrAC and water vapour concentration (WVC) were simultaneously measured as a known MA component was added to subjects with existing blood alcohol. In the absence of MA, water always precedes alcohol in a volumetric expirogram. In the presence of MA this relationship reversed. A scatterplot of WVC versus BrAC from similar fractional exhaled volumes illustrates how their relative positions change by MA. A deviation area (DA) between the scatterplot curve and a fictitious linear relationship was defined as a measurement of MA. The accuracy and cut-off level of the DA to detect MA were determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.95 (95% CI 0.90–1.0), indicating excellent discriminatory ability. The optimal cut-off for DA to discriminate between MA ≥0.010mg/L (1μg/100ml, 0.002g/210L) or lack of MA was −0.35, with a sensitivity of 0.91 and specificity of 0.95.Analysis of BrAC in relation to WVC is a practical method to detect and confirm MA contamination with high reliability.

Accidents Represent a Major Epidemic of Non Communicable Disease: Enforcement of Laws to Control it

In India, road accidents lead to death and disability as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Worldwide it was estimated that 1.2 million people were killed (2.2% of all deaths) and 50 million more were injured in motor vehicle collisions. Legislation embodies codified set of rules. These are enforced by the state to prevent accidents. these include driving test, medical fitness to drive, enforcement of speed limits, compulsory wearing of seat belts and rash helmets, checking of blood alcohol concentration, road side breath testing for alcohol, regular inspection of vehicles, periodic re-examination of drivers over the age of 55, etc.

Alcohol and Drug Use in Injured Drivers - An Emergency Room Study in a Regional Tertiary Care Centre of North West India.

Statistics show an increasing proportion of alcohol and drug use in drivers in more recent times throughout the world. It has been found that among the various human factors, alcohol consumption, using drugs and subsequent driving on the roads are major risk factors. Traffic regulations in India penalises drivers who drive beyond permissible alcohol limit of 30 mg%. Consumption of psychoactive drugs such as opioid, cannabis and benzodiazepines has been reported mainly among youngsters. Hardly any data is available in Indian context particularly from North-West Zone of India. To study the pattern of alcohol, opioid, cannabis and benzodiazepines use in injured drivers presenting to a designated trauma centre in Chandigarh zone of North-West India. Consenting injured drivers who presented to the trauma centre in Chandigarh from September 2013 to January 2014 were included. Urine samples collected from the subjects were screened for abusive drug exposure (opioid, cannabis and benzodiazepines) and alcohol using commercial bedside urine immunoassay kits. In urine alcohol positive cases blood samples were collected and analysed for alcohol concentration using standard gas chromatography. Retrograde extrapolation method was used to assess BAC at the time of accident. A total of 200 injured drivers were included in this study. We found substance consumption in 54.5% of drivers and alcohol (40.5%) was the most prevalent substance consumed followed by opiates (13%), cannabis (7%) and benzodiazepines (7%). More than one substance was shown in urine of 11.5% of drivers. Among 81 alcohol positive screening cases, the quantitative analysis was successfully done for 76 cases. Except one, all cases showed BAC value more than 30 mg% which is the legal limit for driving any vehicle in India. The values of alcohol concentration in blood at the time of accident were in the range of 20 to 391 mg%. This study has shown that drivers are consuming not only alcohol but other psychoactive drugs also. Indian traffic regulatory authorities are penalising drunk drivers by doing road side breath alcohol testing with no protocols for drug screening. Appropriate measures should be adopted to screen traffic offenders for psychoactive drugs also.

Effects of homeopathic mother tinctures on breath alcohol testing.

In some countries, it is illegal to drive with any detectable amount of alcohol in blood; in others, the legal limit is 0.5 g/L or lower. Recently, some defendants charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and have claimed that positive breath alcohol test results were due to the ingestion of homeopathic mother tinctures. These preparations are obtained by maceration, digestion, infusion, or decoction of herbal material in hydroalcoholic solvent. A series of tests were conducted to evaluate the alcoholic content of three homeopathic mother tinctures and their ability to produce inaccurate breath alcohol results. Nine of 30 subjects gave positive results (0.11-0.82 g/L) when tests were taken within 1 min after drinking mother tincture. All tests taken at least 15 min after the mother tincture consumption and resulted in alcohol-free readings. An observation period of 15-20 min prior to breath alcohol testing eliminates the possibility of false-positive results.

Effects of mixing alcohol with energy drink on objective and subjective intoxication: results from a Dutch on-premise study.

BackgroundThe purpose of this on-premise study was to determine if alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED) consumption masks the subjective feelings of intoxication when compared to consuming alcohol only.MethodsThe study was conducted on five nights in the city center of Utrecht. N = 997 people leaving bars were interviewed about their alcohol consumption with and without energy drinks, for that particular evening and for other occasions. People reporting drug and medication use were excluded (N = 84). Subjective intoxication was rated on a 10-point scale. Objective intoxication (breath alcohol concentration, BrAC) was determined with a breath alcohol test. Three groups were identified: (1) the AMED-tonight group (N = 185, 20.2 %), (2) the AMED-other-nights group (N = 246, 27.1 %), and (3) the no-AMED group (N = 482, 52.7 %).ResultsObjective intoxication (BrAC) did not significantly differ (p = 0.94) between the AMED-tonight group (0.074 % ± 0.05), AMED-other-nights group (0.073 % ± 0.05), and the no-AMED group (0.074 % ± 0.05). In line, subjective intoxication was not significantly different (p = 0.96) between the AMED-tonight group (4.5 ± 2.2), AMED-other-nights group (4.6 ± 2.3), and no-AMED group (4.6 ± 2.2).Within-subjects comparisons revealed no significant differences in total alcohol consumption between AMED occasions and alcohol only occasions. Regression analyses showed that “gender” (beta = 0.078, p = 0.016), “time of testing” (beta = 0.085, p = 0.009,) and “BrAC” (beta = 0.574, p = 0.0001) together explained 37.7 % of variance of subjective intoxication scores (Cohen’s f 2 = 0.605). Whether or not subjects consumed energy drinks did not predict subjective intoxication scores.ConclusionThe data suggests that mixing alcohol with energy drink does not mask subjective intoxication.