SOFT 2004 Meeting Abstracts - Society of Forensic Toxicologists

B15
LONG-TERM ROADSIDE SURVEYS FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING IN FINLAND
M Portman l .., A Penttila\ K Kuoppasalmil, P Lunetta 2 ,P Nevala 3 : lNational Public Health Institute
Helsinki 2Department offoren sic Medicine, University of He\sinki 3The Mobi\e Police, Helsinki '
Numerous reports have shown that the rate of drunken driving declined worldwide in the 1980s.
Nevertheless, drunken driving is still a considerable factor in fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 2002, 415
persons were killed in road traffic accidents in Finland (population 5.2 millions). In these accidents the
number offatalities involving drunken drivers was 91 (21.9%), whereas 12 persons (2.9 %) were killed in
accidents involving other intoxicants than alcohol. Annual roadside surveys have been carried out since
1978 in the province ofUusimaa in southern Finland to determine the incidence ofdrivers who had been
drinking. The statutory limit of blood alcohol concentration for drunken driving in Finland is 0.5 0/00
(glkg). The police can make a demand for a driver's breath sample to be tested for the presence of alcohol
even in the absence ofobvious signs ofdrunken driving. Annually a total ofabout 30000 drivers have been
breath tested. The surveys have been carried out using the same protocol and, therefore, the results obtained
from year to year are comparable. The surveys take place on three Tuesdays and three Saturdays during
both spring and autumn. These days are chosen to represent one weekday and one day of the weekend.
Every survey consists of4-5 roadblocks, each lasting 30-40 minutes. The roadside survey team includes
one chief inspector, 8-14 police officers, one physician and a few assistants. The driver of every motor
vehicle is breath tested with an Alcometer PST-MIR (Lion Laboratories Ltd., Cardiff, U.K.) or an
Alcosensor IIIR (lntoximeters Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.) screening device. The incidence of
drunken drivers has been 0.2 % since the beginning ofthe 1990s. The percentage of drivers with an alcohol
concentration below the statutory limit has been 0.4 % during the 1990s and since 2000 a rising trend has
been observed. In 2003 the frequency was 1.01 %. A possible explanation for the observed rise is that the
attitude, especially of young drivers, has changed, resulting in an increase in the number of cases involving
low blood alcohol concentrations. More and more young drivers recognize that while dining in restaurants
or attending parties they can consume one to two beers or ciders while their blood alcohol concentration
can remain safely below the statutory limit of0.5 0/00. The coming years will show whether the recent
significant increase in Finland of drivers with low alcohol content is a permanent trend or not. The taxes of
alcohol beverages were substantially lowered in March this year, which may well contribute to
maintaining, or accelerating this trend.
Keywords: drunken driving, roadside survey, breath testing
Page 214