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The relationship of different socioeconomic variables and alcohol consumption with nighttime fatal traffic crashes in Spain: 1978–1993

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Abstract

This paper identifies the variables associated with alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes (AFTC) in Spain. In addition, and for the first time in this country, these variables are used to describe the trend in AFTC, and to study the relationship between AFTC and alcohol consumption over the period 1976–1993. To this end, official data were obtained from the Traffic Department (Dirección General de Tráfico), the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), and from international publications on trends in alcohol consumption. Nighttime fatal crashes (NFC) and male-driver single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes (MNFC) were strongly associated with AFTC rates in Spain. A further finding was the decrease in NFC and MNFC rates during the period 1978–1993, though this decrease proved of a lower magnitude than that observed for daytime crashes. No relationship was observed between alcohol consumption at the population level and NFC or MNFC rates. The fatal crash rate, particularly the daytime rate, showed a rise with wealth level, as measured by gross domestic product and national private consumption, and an inverse relationship with the unemployment rate. The relationship between the fatal crash rate and economic variables was due, in most part, to changes in vehicle-km travelled.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dirección General de Tráfico, Ministerio del Interior, Madrid

    Juan Carlos González-Luque

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad del País Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz

    Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid

    Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo

Authors
  1. Juan Carlos González-Luque
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  2. Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo
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González-Luque, J.C., Rodríguez-Artalejo, F. The relationship of different socioeconomic variables and alcohol consumption with nighttime fatal traffic crashes in Spain: 1978–1993. Eur J Epidemiol 16, 955–961 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011008521081

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