A comprehensive systematic review of the laboratory-based research investigating the influence of alcohol on driving behaviour

Abstract

Abstract In the past thirty years, alcohol influence on drivers has been widely researched using driving simulators across the world. However, a critical evaluation of the existing evidence is required to project the current status and provide directions for future investigations. The present study conducts a comprehensive systematic review of the research examining the effects of alcohol on simulated driving performance. The literature search was conducted in academic databases such as Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Transportation Research Information Database (TRID), PubMed, and Web of science. In total, 1015 articles were identified from the initial database search along with 14 additional articles from other sources (Articles Plus, Cochrane Library, Medline, National Technical Information Services, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Medline Grey Literature Report), out of which 110 articles were included in the systematic review. The majority of the studies were conducted in the United States of America (45%), followed by Australia (15%). These studies were reviewed based on the following aspects: type of driving simulator, study design, Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) or alcohol dose used in the experiments, driving environment characteristics, driving performance measures, data analysis techniques, and additional factors affecting driver behaviour under the influence of alcohol. Overall, the evidence regarding driving performance under the influence of alcohol shows that the majority of the previous studies have found a significant impact of alcohol on the various aspects of driving behaviour. The systematic review highlighted the methodological limitations observed in the previous driving simulator studies which should be acknowledged in future research.