Lowering the legal blood alcohol level for motorcyclists

The blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of all operators involved in motorcycle accidents (MCA) and drivers of motor vehicle accidents (MVA) admitted to a New Jersey Level I Trauma Center during 1992 (the first year such data were computerized) were evaluated. Comparable to other institutional statistics (one-third of vehicular accidents are related to alcohol consumption) our data showed 13 (33%) of 40 MCA operators and 117 (35%) of 340 MVA drivers had measurable BAC. These values, as well as their respective Injury Severity Scores (ISS), were recorded and compared for significance of apparent differences using the 't' test for unpaired observations. Mean BAC was 124 +/- 24 (SE) mg dl-1 for MCA and 180 +/- 9 mg dl-1 for MVA (p < 0.05). The respective mean ISS for MCA was 13.1 +/- 5.4 and MVA was 7.9 +/- 0.9 (p = 0.12). These data indicate that drivers involved in MVA and MCA are frequently under the influence of alcohol. The mean BAC for motorcyclists is significantly less than that for drivers of four-wheeled passenger vehicles and is likely to reflect the need for greater coordination and balance when operating a two-wheeled vehicle.