A Study of Blood Alcohol Level in Victims of Fatal Road Traffic Accidents in Manipur, India.

Background: Alcohol is well-established risk factors for road traffic deaths around the world. Method: This is a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of alcohol consumption among the victims of fatal road traffic accidents in Imphal, Manipur. A detailed post-mortem examination was carried out among 160 victims and blood alcohol concentration was assessed by Cavett test and then quantified by gas liquid chromatography. Result: A total of 40 (25%) cases were found to be positive for alcohol in the blood. Most of the cases 11(27.5%) occurred in age group of 21-30 years and 41- 50 years, respectively. Maximum number of cases 13(32.5%) showed blood alcohol concentration of 90-120 mg% while 7(17.5%) cases showed readings above 180 mg%. Conclusion: This study found that driving under the influence of alcohol, exponentially increases the risk of having an accident which could be fatal in its outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]