Abstract
A field study was carried out using 131 volunteers in an attempt to relate alcohol consumption at 12 social functions with actual blood alcohol levels under reasonably controlled conditions. Food, taken at 7 of these functions, caused an unpredictable delay in alcohol absorption and some subjects had blood alcohol figures approaching recently defined ‘high risk’ levels. Better correlation was found at those functions without food intake, but again there was considerable individual variation. In 36 subjects samples were taken on the following morning. About 12 per cent showed significantly raised levels but all were under the legal limit for driving. The authors are concerned that other factors in addition to the alcohol level should be considered before a driver is placed in the ‘high risk’ category.
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