Female DWI-delinquency and chronic alcoholism in Düsseldorf

The blood sample records of all 1,231 blood samples of female DWI-offenders submitted to the Düsseldorf Institute of Forensic Medicine in 1986/87 were analysed for date and time arrest, age, additional drug intake. BAC and results of medical examination. The data obtained were compared to a randomly selected male comparison group and to the situation in the sixties. The proportion of women arrested for impaired driving has increased from 1.75% in the sixties to 7.5% in 1986/87 (factor 4.3), the percentage of highly intoxicated women (BAC above 2.5 g/l) from 0.07% to 0.55% (factor 7.9). Current female DWI behavior is quite similar to male with both groups mainly comprising highly intoxicated young subjects apprehended on the days of the weekend in the hours around midnight. Women more often admit additional drug intake with benzodiazepine abuse representing a major problem. As concluded from time of arrest, discrepancy between BAC and degree of drunkeness and blood methanol levels about 60% of the women with a BAC above 2.5 g/l have to be classified as chronic alcoholics. As a consequence female alcoholics are significantly overrepresented in female DWI-delinquency.