Alcohol in relation to road safety

Alcohol contributes to about 50 per cent of fatal accidents overall and to a higher proportion of those which occur at night and at weekends. Its contribution to injury and damage accidents is smaller but is nevertheless substantial. Detected drinking drivers, accident - involved or not, do not form a typical cross section of the driving population. Current research suggests that drinkers can be separated into two main categories - responsible and excessive drinkers - and that the two groups can be defined in quantitative terms based on alcohol intake. Studies of community drinking habits show that less than 10 per cent of males and a much smaller proportion of females would qualify as excessive drinkers. Countermeasures to reduce drink driving accidents act in three main areas: (a) detection of drinking drivers, (b) dealing with those who are detected, and (c) education of the community at large about the use and abuse of alcohol and the risks involved in combining drinking and driving.