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. 2019 Sep 1;154(9):875-876.
doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2019.1720.

Use of a Statewide Public Health Tool to Estimate Miles Driven by Intoxicated Drivers

Michaela A West  1   2 , Amber Smith  1 , Tara Helm  1 , Patty Reicks  1 , Melissa Thorson  1 , Jonathan Gipson  1
Affiliations

Use of a Statewide Public Health Tool to Estimate Miles Driven by Intoxicated Drivers

Michaela A West et al. JAMA Surg. .

Abstract

This study uses data from the Place of Last Drink database and Google maps to assess the association of blood alcohol concentration with distance traveled and driver’s age among intoxicated drivers in Minnesota.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Mss Helm, Smith, and Thorson reported receiving grants from Partnership for Change (PFC) during the conduct of the study. Ms Thorson also reported receiving other (singular) funding from the Trauma Center Association of America outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Examples of Use of Google Maps to Estimate Route and Miles Driven
A, “Suggested route” options identified 3 preferred routes between a suburban place of last drink and the location of the police citation, ranging from 5.1 to 7.2 miles, with approximately 1.2 miles on highway and travel times between 12 and 13 minutes. B, Example of suggested routes for travel from a downtown place of last drink to a rural offense location requiring driving distances that ranged from 26.6 to 37.9 miles, including more than 25 miles of highway travel (using either I-394 and Highway 12 or on Highway 55) or more than 35 miles highway travel (on I-35W, I-494, and Highway 12). To convert miles to kilometers, multiply by 1.6.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Association of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) With Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and Driver Age
The variables BAC, VMT, and age were analyzed to assess the presence of associations among these variables. Because initial sample selections were based on BAC, this variable is plotted on the x-axis. A, Scatterplot and trend line of VMT vs BAC shows no statistically significant association between VMT and BAC. B, Scatterplot and trend line of age vs BAC shows no statistically significant association between driver age and BAC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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