Stricter blood-alcohol focus limits might result in extra hit-and-run fatalities, finds research

Stricter legal guidelines on blood alcohol focus (BAC) limits whereas driving might need an unintended consequence on hit-and-run fatalities, in response to a research from researchers at Florida Atlantic College and the College of Miami.

Researchers embody Gulcin Gumus, Ph.D., affiliate professor in FAU’s Faculty of Enterprise Administration Applications , and Michael T. French, Ph.D., professor and division chair of well being administration and coverage on the College of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Enterprise College.

The research, revealed in Danger Evaluation, confirmed an 8.3% enhance in hit-and-run fatalities related to the adoption of .08 BAC limits.

“What we discovered is that the .08 BAC restrict does not appear to make a big impression on lowering visitors fatalities. Nonetheless, as soon as the DUI coverage turns into a bit stricter with the modifications within the state laws, we discover that hit-and-run crashes and fatalities enhance,” mentioned Gumus. “It seems that there is perhaps an unintended consequence of those legal guidelines whereby drivers are selecting to desert the scene.”

Researchers examined knowledge on visitors fatalities from 1982 to 2008 in all 50 states, evaluating the variety of fatalities in hit-and-run crashes to non-hit-and-run fatalities the place drivers stayed on the scene and managed for different elements akin to financial circumstances .

“Though our research is unable to definitively verify any of those potential mechanisms, we suspect that some drivers who’re drunk or medicine would possibly flee a crash scene on account of extreme DUI sanctions, which are sometimes extra stringent than non-DUI hit-and-run penalties,” the research famous.

The unintended consequence of this regulation is extra pronounced in city areas and in the course of the weekends. Whereas the research doesn’t tackle hit-and-run penalties immediately, researchers imagine it has necessary implications for lawmakers who purpose to enhance visitors security.

“The considerably sudden findings of this analysis have necessary implications for visitors security coverage,” French mentioned. “To keep away from or a minimum of reduce the unintended penalties of a decrease BAC restrict, policymakers ought to contemplate growing the penalties for hit-and-run drivers to dissuade them from leaving the scene of a collision.”