United States Department of Transportation
i
A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills
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2000-04-01
[PDF-3.91 MB]
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Edition:Final report
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Abstract:A review of the scientific literature regarding the effects of alcohol on driving-related skills was conducted. The review covered 112 articles dated from 1981 to 1997. Results were indexed by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and behavioral area and entered into a database. Two separate analyses were conducted. The first analysis determined the lowest BAC at which impairment is reliably present in driving-related skills. The second analysis determined the thresholds of impairment for each of 12 separate behavioral areas. It was concluded that: (A) Alcohol impairs some driving skills beginning with any significant departure from zero BAC. By BACs of 0.05 g/dl, the majority of the experimental studies examined reported significant impairment. By 0.08 g/dl, more than 94% of the reviewed studies showed impairment in the skills they measured. (B) Specific performance skills are differentially affected by alcohol. Some skills are significantly impaired by BACs of 0.01 g/dl, while others do not show impairment until BACs of 0.06 g/dl. (C) Discrepancies among the reported BAC thresholds of impairment within a behavioral area reflected a lack of standardization of testing methods, instruments, and measures in the studies reviewed. (D) All drivers can be expected to experience impairment in some driving-related skills by 0.08 g/dl or less. /Abstract from report summary page/
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