A vehicle crash scene is chaotic. Determining whether the crash was alcohol-related is secondary to saving the lives of those involved, but determining if alcohol was involved in the crash is vital.  Nationally, in crashes that caused death or serious injury in 2005, less than a quarter of surviving drivers and less than two-thirds of killed drivers had their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tested and available. (NHTSA, 2006)

Knowing whether a crash was alcohol-related is important for a number of reasons.  More testing means a greater chance of detecting drunk drivers. More than 80 percent of drunk drivers with a illegal BAC who were involved in motor vehicle crashes and admitted to ERs were not held responsible for their crimes because hospital personnel did not report their BAC level to authorities. (McNamee, 2001)

More testing helps to gauge the effects of policies and programs that combat drunk driving and help law enforcement professionals allocate their resources to the areas most in need of enforcement.  Lack of testing makes the problem hard to quantify and hard to combat.

Finally, testing helps help offenders get treatment for underlying problems with alcohol. People who come into the emergency department are one and a half to three times more likely to have alcohol abuse issues than primary care patients. (Cherpitel, 1999) Studies show that emergency room-based interventions can decrease future drinking and driving, traffic violations, alcohol-related injuries, and trauma re-admissions.  (Gentilello, 1999) (Monti, 1999) Treating offenders’ problems with alcohol makes us all safer.

• Cherpitel, Cheryl J. "Drinking Patterns and Problems: A Comparison of Primary Care with the Emergency Room." Substance Abuse 20 (1999):85-95. (not yet online)
• Gentilello, Laurence M, et al. "Alcohol Interventions in a Trauma Center as a Means of Reducing the Risk of Injury Recurrence." Annals of Surgery 230 vol. 4 (1999): 473-483. (Click here)
• McNamee, Carol. "Slipping Through the Cracks: The Need for Mandatory BAC Testing for All Crashes." DRIVEN magazine. Irving, TX: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Spring 2001. (Click here)
• Monti, Peter M., et al. "Brief Intervention for Harm Reduction with Alcohol-Positive Older Adolescents in a Hospital Emergency Department." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 67 vol. 6 (1999):989-994. (not yet online)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in the Medical Setting." DOT HS 809 467. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2002. (Click here)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2005: State Alcohol Estimates.” DOT 810 627. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2006. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2005/StateAlcoholEstTSF05.pdf
• Soderstrom, Carl, JT Dailey, and TJ Kerns. "Alcohol and Other Drugs: An Assessment of Testing and Clinical Practices in U.S. Trauma Centers." Journal of Trauma 36 vol. 1 (Jan 1994): 68-73. (not yet online)