Blood Alcohol Concentration Levels among Dui Arrestees: Are There Differences When Considering Race and Gender?

Abstract

Many studies and treatment programmes associated with driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol have focused on Caucasian males, either minimising or casually addressing minorities and females who historically may have not consumed alcohol and driven at equivalent BAC levels. The current study examines arrest report data in order to compare the mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels for individuals arrested for DUI when considering race and gender. Examination of arrest data revealed that while females were less frequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, female intoxication levels as measured by their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the time of their arrest were equivalent to their male counterparts (t (242) = 1.214, p = 0.226). Further, when considering for arrestee's race there was no statistically significant difference between the mean BAC levels of Caucasians when compared with African Americans and other minorities (F (2, 241) = 0.358, p = 0.700).