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Although Not Recommended, Alcohol Helps Drunk Drivers Survive Accidents |
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Written by Superhuman
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Wednesday, 23 January 2008 |
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Last year nearly 17,000 Americans died in alcohol-related car accidents. Alcohol was linked to nearly 40 percent of automobile fatalities. While drunk drivers cause accidents, people with moderate amounts of alcohol
in their systems are more likely to survive blunt trauma injuries to their brains. Traumatic brain injuries are followed by swelling and inflammation that can cause further injury, delay healing or cause death. Canadian researchers reported that alcohol reduced this secondary brain injury and improved the chance of surviving the accident. Researchers examined the records of nearly 1,200 people who suffered traumatic brain injury during a 15-year period. People who had moderate blood alcohol levels were 24 percent more likely to survive than those with high amounts or zero alcohol in their systems. However, drinkers were more likely to get into an accident in the first place, so don’t drink and drive. (Archives Surgery, 141:1185-1191, 2006)
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