Commentary: why is the odds ratio for involvement in serious road traffic accident among drunk drivers in Norway and Finland higher than in other countries?

Abstract

Objective: Recent Norwegian and Finnish studies have found high odds ratios for serious or fatal injury in road traffic accidents among drivers after drinking alcohol. In this report we have compared the odds ratios with results from studies in other countries.

Methods: A literature review was conducted.

Results: The odds ratios were significantly higher than in countries where drunk driving is more common.

Conclusion: The calculated odds ratios are not only related to alcohol use or blood alcohol concentration per se but also related to the study design-for example, the inclusion of nonculpable drivers among cases-and confounding factors not included in statistical analysis; for example, risk-taking behavior. Those two issues may contribute to explaining why the reported odds ratios are higher for Norway and Finland.