Evaluating the impact of criminalizing drunk driving on years of life lost of road traffic deaths in one megacity, China

Abstract

TPS 771: Diet and lifestyle, Exhibition Hall, Ground floor, August 26, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Abstract: Aim: Road safety is an important public health issue worldwide. However, few studies analyse the association between criminalizing drunk driving and Years of Life Lost (YLL) of Road Traffic Deaths (RTD). There are still countries which do not have the law preventing drunk driving. Our study can provide useful information about this. Methods: We used interrupted time-series analysis to find the changes of YLL before and after the law enforcement using RTD data from 2008 to 2014 in Tianjin. We also examined RTD risk change related to the law. Results Simple comparisons of the median of RTD and the YLL in all subgroups except the >=65 age group showed reductions after enactment of the new law in May 2011. Results: The overall RTD and YLL decreased by 9.6% (125 vs. 113) and 16.11% (5786 vs. 4854) after the law. In regression analyses with adjustment for seasonality, months, holidays and the number of people in each district, the RTD and YLL declined significantly after the new traffic law, especially obvious in the middle age group. However, the upgrade of the law in 2013 does not have any effect on the YLL and the RTD. Conclusions YLL provides a complementary measure for examining the effect of criminalization on drunk driving RTD. Conclusion: This study highlights that the law can lead to reduction in RTD and YLL in Tianjin, China. Large, immediate public health benefits resulted from the new road traffic law in China. However, the first issue of the law is more effective than the upgrade of the law later.