The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on February 25, 2007
The European Journal of Public Health 2007 17(5):537; doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckm007
Letter to the Editor |
Breath analyser market is set to grow: a road safety perspective
SirBreath analyser market for motor vehicle drivers has exploded with plenty of models available, even incorporated into mobile phones (e.g. LG models SD410, KP4100 and LP4100). Interestingly, WinterGreen Research1 summarizes, ‘alcohol breath analyser market driving forces relate to greater desire for prevention of accidents of all types, and greater recognition that alcohol is a cause of accidents’. Is that really so? What does it mean from the safety perspective that people are buying more and more breath analysers? Does it indicate more consciousness about the dangerousness of drunken driving? In our view, it may rather show people are more concerned about not breaking the law than actual driving impairment. Our anecdotic experiences support this view.
In a routine sobriety check with the Finnish mobile police, we were surprised to see a few drivers showing their breath analysers, smiling and claiming that they were below the legal BAC (Blood alcohol concentration) limit of 0.05%. Police officers also told they stopped a driver two times, a year apart, having a BAC just below the legal limit, and he proudly showed his breath analyser.
Comprehensive sobriety checks in Finland indicate that the share of drivers above the 0.05% level has been quite constant for a longer time. Instead, those with (non-zero) BAC below the legal limit started to increase quite sharply a few years ago. In general, former strict attitudes towards drinking and driving have weakened.2 Our recent survey on young male military conscripts (age 18–21) showed that more than half of them have at least one alcohol drink and drive while being out during weekend nights.
It is well known that impairment of many driving-related skills begins with any departure from zero BAC.3 Especially, sleepiness is exacerbated by even low alcohol intake,4 and increased sleepiness and alcohol combined are one of the major causes of fatal road crashes.5 It is possible that if only focused on not breaking the magic line of 0.05% BAC, drivers are not aware of the interaction between increased sleepiness and small alcohol consumption. Therefore, breath analysers may help drivers not to break the law but add to risk of falling asleep while driving. This may be counterproductive to road safety, especially if breath analysers make more drivers to adopt more frequent or habitual drinking and driving.
Igor Radun and Heikki Summala
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Correspondence: Igor Radun, Traffic Research Unit, Department of Psychology, PO. Box 9, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. Tel: +358 9 19129423; Fax: +358 9 19129422; e-mail: igor.radun{at}helsinki.fi
References
1 WinterGreen Research, Inc. Breath Analyzer Market Opportunities, Market Forecasts, and Market Strategies, 2006–2012 (2005) Lexington: WinterGreen Research.
2 Rajalin S. Rattijuopumus Suomessa (Drinking and driving in Finland) (2004) Traffic Safety Organization in Finland. Report No.: 99/2004.
3 Moskowitz H, Fiorentino D. A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills (2000) Washington: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation. Report No.: DOT-HS809028.
4 Horne JA, Reyner LA, Barrett PR. Driving impairment due to sleepiness is exacerbated by low alcohol intake. Occup Environ Med (2003) 60:689–92.
5 Philip P, Vervialle F, Le Breton P, et al. Fatigue, alcohol, and serious road crashes in France: factorial study of national data. Br Med J (2001) 322:829–30.
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