Pedestrian fatalities and alcohol

Since the share of alcohol-positive victims has been reported not to show t he same reduction in pedestrian fatalities as in other 'road users', this s tudy analysed pedestrian fatalities with special emphasis on the presence o f alcohol. Autopsied pedestrian fatalities (286 victims) in northern Sweden from 1977 to 1995 were investigated, using autopsy and police reports. Blo od alcohol was detected in 19% of the fatalities, with a median concentrati on of 1.6 g/l. The proportion of test-positive victims did not change signi ficantly during the period of study. Males more often tested positive for a lcohol than females (24 vs. 11%). Further, the test-positive victims had a lower mean age (49 vs. 59 years) and the proportion of test-positive victim s was higher during weekends and nights. Pedestrian fatalities testing posi tive for alcohol differ from those testing negative in several respects. Th e public should be enlightened of the fact that drinking is a risk not only among users of motor vehicles, but also among pedestrians. Separation of p edestrians from motor vehicles by, e.g. fences, is of greatest importance. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.