Evening star., 1950-03-17
New Tests Detail Effects
Of Alcohol on Drivers
Experiments in Brief Drinking
Reported by Psychologists
By Thomas R. Henry

The most detailed tests yet conducted
on the effects of alcohol on driving have
just been reported by two Swedish phys.
iologists.
They show an average deterioration Of
about 80 per cent after drinking three
bottles of 3.6 per cent beer or fairly
stiff hooker of brandy.
Curiously enough. although the beer
contained more alcohol its effects on
driving were much less than those of the
brandy.
The study is reported in the Quarterly
Journal of Alcohol issued by Yale Uni
versity's Laboratory Of Applied Physiol-
ogy. The tests were conducted by Drs.
Kjell Bjerver and Leonard Goldberg Of
the Karolinska Institute at Stockholm.
Precise interpretations.
Previous studies on the effects Of alco-
hol on drivers, they say, have dealt with
relatively large amounts and results
have been deduced largely from personal
judgments of examiners. There have
been wide discrepancies in reports.
All their tests were capable Of precise
mathematical interpretations. The sub
jects were 81 professional drivers several
of them driving instructors, between the
ages of 20 to As. Approximately half con-
stituted the beer group, the other half
the brandy group. Six tests were given
and repeated several times. AL the driv-
ers performed each test assigned first
while perfectly sober. Then the test was
repeated-with half of each group abb
staining from drinking while the other
half drank the required amounts of beer
or brandy.
The tests consisted OF delicate, pre-
cisely measurable road operations. One,
for example, required driving out of
garage between two rows of poles. There
was barely space for the car to go
through. The results were determined
by the number of poles knocked down.
Another was steering backward through
the same row of poles. Still another
was speed of starting and stopping.
measured in fractions of inches. An
other was making complete turn be-
tween poles placed closely together.
Factor of Practice.
Two factors besides alcohol necessarily
influenced the results between first and
second trials. One was practice. A
driver should be able to profit by his
mistakes the first time. The other was
fatigue. partially offsetting the practice
effect
After the first trial, half the beer group
drank their three bottles in from 10 to
20 minutes. Half the brandy group fin
ished their swig in less than five minutes.
There also was a series of laboratory
tests measuring the ability to discern q
dim, Pickering light and the strength Of
light necessary to make one blink when
shone suddenly in the eyes.
The results: The drivers who had ab-
stained from drinking showed about a
20 per cent improvement between first
and second tests-presumably due to
profiting by mistakes made the first
time.
The beer drinkers showed an average
deterioration of Is per cent.
The brandy drinkers, who actually
had consumed less alcohol, deteriorated
an average of 80 per cent.
The explanation for the beer-brandy
difference, the Psychologists believe, is
that the first beverage does not build
up as high concentration of alcohol in
the blood rs does brandy. gin or whisky.
The men were picked at random for
each test. In no case was any Of the
drivers actually drunk.