Increase in drinking at home linked to rise in falls

STRICTER drink-driving laws or a shortage of money for socialising outside the home may be linked to the increase in traumatic brain injuries following alcohol-related falls, an injury expert has said.

According to Dr Mark Delargy, medical director of the Acquired Brain Injury Programme at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, in the past five years the number of people that have fallen down stairs after drinking alcohol has gone from about 1%-2% to approximately 5%.

“What was once an unusual referral has now become commonplace.

“One interpretation is that there is more drinking in the home now.”

He speculated that this may be a knock-on effect of the recession or “perhaps because of tougher drink driving laws — people are choosing to entertain in their family home.”

Dr Delargy added the impression is that the falls are more likely due to a celebratory event rather than involving chronic alcoholics.

He said that middle-aged individuals were the most common age group and that it is a reasonably equal split between males and females.

Currently, the disqualification period for drink-driving offences ranges from one to six years, depending on the level of alcohol detected, and whether it is a first or subsequent offence.

In 2009, 14,667 drink driving incidents were recorded — a fall of 18.8% compared to the previous year (18,082 incidents).

The trend in fatal traffic collisions has also been favourable for the past four years, decreasing from 365 in 2006 to 239 last year — the lowest for 10 years.

In the first three months of this year, there was a decrease of 16 in the number of people killed on our roads compared with the same period last year.

Figures obtained from the Central Statistics Office revealed that in 2007, there were 93 deaths in the home involving a fall in which alcohol was found to be a contributing factor.

“It has always been the case that people in Irish society drink too much, but now we are seeing a greater number of people coming into Cork University neurosurgery unit or Beaumont who have fallen at home,” added Dr Delargy.

“The effectiveness of the drink-driving laws may be having unexpected repercussions. Of course it is excellent news that there is a reduction in road deaths, but that doesn’t mean we have no work to do. We are seeing a small but steady increase in referrals and admissions of patients who took a fall during a celebration.”

Stricter drink-driving laws have also led to an increase in the number of intoxicated pedestrians at night.

According to a study carried out by Dr Declan Bedford, which examined the blood alcohol levels in 55 people who were killed in road traffic accidents, 10 were pedestrians of which four were found to have had alcohol in their blood.

Last year, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) distributed 30,000 high-visibility reflective vests among 4,200 rural pubs, to try to boost pedestrian and cyclists safety.