Drunk Drivers and Medical and Social Injury

Abstract

Alcohol-related traffic injuries are a major cause of death, pain, and suffering and a major contributor to health care costs in the United States. We reviewed the medical and legal consequences of 252 motor vehicle accidents involving drivers admitted to St. Mary's Hospital between 1981 and 1985, with particular attention to patients with a blood alcohol concentration equal to or above the legally defined threshold for intoxication (100 mg per deciliter). There were 84 such patients, with a median blood alcohol level of 218.5 mg per deciliter. Few of these patients were referred either to alcoholism-rehabilitation programs or to the courts for prosecution.