Baseline breath alcohol concentration in Nigerian commercial drivers and motorcyclists

Objective: We sought to determine breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) in a sample of consenting Nigerian commercial drivers and motorcyclists and relate values obtained to some social parameters and practices. Method: A cross-sectional study of randomly selected, consenting commercial drivers, and motorcyclists in two Nigerian cities was undertaken. We obtained data on subjects' sociodemographics, driving/riding related experiences and practices with the aid of a pretested structured questionnaire. We determined their BrAC and analyzed data using SPSS version 17.0. Statistical significance was inferred at p = 0.05. Result: One hundred ninety respondents aged 20-65 years mean (SD) 40 (11.28) were studied. They were 112 (58.9%) drivers, 78 (41.1%) motorcyclists, and predominantly males (98.9%). A significant proportion of motorcyclists were aged < 40 years and most drivers > 40 years (p < 0.001). Respondents' educational attainment did not differ significantly with age groups and status; however, 6.8% had no formal education. Alcohol use decreased significantly with increasing years of experience (p < 0.001). Note that 68.9% of respondents tested positive with the breathalyzer with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels 0.011.8 mg/ml with mean (SD) at 0.16 (0.32) mg/ml. In total, 51.1% of respondents had BAC values >= 0.1% while 7.9% had BAC >= 0.5 mg/ml. A total of 92.6% admitted use of various measures to enhance their performances and overcome fatigue. Conclusion: The drink driving/riding law in Nigeria needs to be revised to suit prevailing circumstance and enforced.