SELF-ESTIMATES OF BLOOD-ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION AND ABILITY TO DRIVE IN A POPULATION OF SOLDIERS

Drink-driving remains a major problem of public health (Alvarez and Del Rio, 1996). One of the most controversial issues is the choice of legal limit, as the ability to drive can be affected by alcohol levels well below current legal limits (Dunbar et al. , 1987; Howat et al. , 1991; Guppy, 1994). This study addressed the questions of the self-estimation of ability to drive, and its correlation with blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) measured with a breath-ethanol analyser in a population of non-professional male soldiers. In November 1997, at 23:00, during the last evening of a 3-week military course, in Geneva barracks, soldiers were asked to fill in a questionnaire including birth date, CAGE test, self-evaluation of ability to drive, and self-estimation of BAC. All gave informed consent and were instructed that the legal Swiss …