Alcohol-involved Traffic Crashes Research Articles

Spatial relationships between alcohol outlet densities and drunk driving crashes: An empirical study of Tianjin in China

Introduction: Numerous studies have demonstrated the close relationship between alcohol availability and alcohol-related crashes. However, there is still a lack of spatial empirical analysis regarding this relationship, particularly in large cities of developing countries. Differences in alcohol outlets and drinking patterns in these cities may lead to quite different patterns of crash outcomes. Method: 3356 alcohol-related crashes were collected from the blood-alcohol test report of a forensic institution in Tianjin, China. Density of alcohol outlets such as retail locations, entertainment venues, restaurants, hotels, and companies were extracted based on 2114 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) together with the residential and demographic characteristics. After applying the exploratory spatial data analysis, this research developed and compared the traditional Ordinary Least Square model (OLS), Spatial Lag Model (SLM), Spatial Error Model (SEM) and Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to explore spatial effects of all the variables. Results: The results of incremental spatial autocorrelation show that the most significant distance threshold of alcohol-related roadway traffic crashes is 3 km. The SDM is found to be the optimal spatial model to characterize the relationship between alcohol outlets and crashes. The number of alcohol-involved traffic crashes is positively related to population density and retail density, but negatively related to the company density, hotel density, and residential density within the same TAZ. Meanwhile, dense population and hotels have reverse spillover effects in adjacent zones. Conclusions: The significant spatial direct effect and spillover effect of alcohol outlet densities on drunk driving crashes should not be neglected. These findings could help improve transportation planning, traffic law enforcement and traffic management for large cities in developing countries.

New Zealand's new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation.

BackgroundAlcohol consumption is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. In response to strong calls from the public for alcohol law reform, the New Zealand Government recently reduced the blood alcohol limit for driving and introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act which aim to (1) improve community input into local decision-making on alcohol; (2) reduce the availability of alcohol; and (3) reduce hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harm. In this project we seek to evaluate the new laws in terms of these objectives.Design and methodsA policy evaluation framework is proposed to investigate the implementation and outcomes of the reforms. We will use quantitative and qualitative methods, employing a pre-post design. Participants include members of the public, local government staff, iwi (Māori tribal groups that function collectively to support their members) and community group representatives. Data will be collected via postal surveys, interviews and analysis of local government documents. Liquor licensing, police and hospital injury data will also be used. Community input into local government decision-making will be operationalised as: the number of objections per license application and the number of local governments adopting a local alcohol policy (LAP). Outcome measures will be the ‘restrictiveness’ of LAPs compared to previous policies, the number (per 1000 residents) and density (per square kilometre) of alcohol outlets throughout NZ, and the number of weekend late-night (i.e., post 10 pm) trading hours. For consumption and harm, outcomes will be the prevalence of hazardous drinking, harm from own and others’ drinking, community amenity effects, rates of assault, and rates of alcohol-involved traffic crashes. Multiple regression will be used to model how the outcomes vary by local government area from before to after the law changes take effect. These measures will be complemented by qualitative analysis of LAP development and public participation in local decision-making on alcohol.DiscussionThe project will evaluate how well the reforms meet their explicit public health objectives.

Acceptance of drinking and driving and alcohol-involved driving crashes in California

BackgroundAlcohol-impaired driving accounts for substantial proportion of traffic-related fatalities in the U.S. Risk perceptions for drinking and driving have been associated with various measures of drinking and driving behavior. In an effort to understand how to intervene and to better understand how risk perceptions may be shaped, this study explored whether an objective environmental-level measure (proportion of alcohol-involved driving crashes in one’s residential city) were related to individual-level perceptions and behavior. MethodsUsing data from a 2012 cross-sectional roadside survey of 1147 weekend nighttime drivers in California, individual-level self-reported acceptance of drinking and driving and past-year drinking and driving were merged with traffic crash data using respondent ZIP codes. Population average logistic regression modeling was conducted for the odds of acceptance of drinking and driving and self-reported, past-year drinking and driving. ResultsA non-linear relationship between city-level alcohol-involved traffic crashes and individual-level acceptance of drinking and driving was found. Acceptance of drinking and driving did not mediate the relationship between the proportion of alcohol-involved traffic crashes and self-reported drinking and driving behavior. However, it was directly related to behavior among those most likely to drink outside the home. DiscussionThe present study surveys a particularly relevant population and is one of few drinking and driving studies to evaluate the relationship between an objective environmental-level crash risk measure and individual-level risk perceptions. In communities with both low and high proportions of alcohol-involved traffic crashes there was low acceptance of drinking and driving. This may mean that in communities with low proportions of crashes, citizens have less permissive norms around drinking and driving, whereas in communities with a high proportion of crashes, the incidence of these crashes may serve as an environmental cue which informs drinking and driving perceptions. Perceptual information on traffic safety can be used to identify places where people may be at greater risk for drinking and driving. Community-level traffic fatalities may be a salient cue for tailoring risk communication.

Economics of alcohol-involved traffic crashes in the USA: an input-output analysis

BackgroundPreventing traffic crashes reduces crash costs paid by employers and employees. The related savings filter through the economy, impacting its performance. This study is the first to measure the impact...

EVALUATION OF THE TEXAS 0.08 BAC LAW

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects on alcohol-involved traffic crashes and fatalities of the 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) per se law introduced in the state of Texas in 1999. Data pertaining to alcohol-involved traffic crashes and fatalities were extracted from two datasets: the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (for the period January 1995-September 2002), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports of Alcohol Related Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents and Casualties (for the period January 1995-December 2000). The data were analysed using time-series methods (ARIMA routines). The effects of the law on all drivers were assessed, along with the effects among gender, racial, and age subgroups and crash location (urban vs rural). Separate time-series analyses were conducted with all alcohol-involved and fatal alcohol-involved crashes from the DPS dataset and fatal alcohol-involved crashes from the FARS dataset as the outcome variables. None of the effects for either the total sample or any of the subgroups analysed was statistically significant (this was true of both the FARS and DPS datasets). While there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that 0.08 BAC laws can be effective in reducing alcohol-involved traffic accidents and fatalities, the present study shows that this was not the case in Texas. Future research should move beyond the simple question of whether or not 0.08 BAC laws 'work' and instead explore in more detail the conditions, such as publicity and enforcement, under which the law does or does not contribute to a decline in alcohol-involved accidents and fatalities.

Community prevention trials: a respectful partnership.

To review the theoretical basis for a systems approach to community prevention of alcohol problems and the policy options that this approach suggests. A community systems prevention project used 4 environmental strategies to reduce heavy drinking. The Community Trial, using an environmental approach to prevention, achieved a statistically significant reduction in alcohol-involved traffic crashes in addition to lower sales of alcohol to young people and greater number of policies against serving alcohol to intoxicated persons. This trial demonstrated that a respectful partnership between researchers and community members is essential. Prevention planners and policy makers must understand how various aspects of the community influence alcohol and other drug use, thereby contributing to alcohol and other drug problems.

The effect of drinking and driving interventions on alcohol-involved traffic crashes within a comprehensive community trial

The effect of drinking and driving interventions on alcohol-involved traffic crashes within a comprehensive community trial

The effect of drinking and driving interventions on alcohol‐involved traffic crashes within a comprehensive community trial

The Drinking and Driving Component, one of five elements of the Community Trials Project, involved the implementation of a special drink driving countermeasure in the three experimental communities, one in Northern California, one in Southern California and another in South Carolina. This intensified enforcement of driving under the influence (DUI) was designed to deter potential drinking drivers by increasing their perception of the risk of being arrested leading to a reduction in the consumption of alcohol before driving. See component detailed description in Voas (1997, this issue). The evaluation found that media advocacy training and technical assistance resulted in increased DUI news coverage and that additional police officer hours for DUI enforcement, greater use of breathalyzer equipment, increased officer training and more checkpoints produced increased DUI enforcement. The combined effects of increased DUI news coverage and DUI enforcement yielded increased public perceived risk of arrest and subsequently less drinking and driving. Overall the evaluation found that alcohol‐involved traffic crashes were reduced as a result of this component in the experimental communities as contrasted with the matched comparison communities.

The effect of drinking and driving interventions on alcohol‐involved traffic crashes within a comprehensive community trial

The Drinking and Driving Component, one of five elements of the Community Trials Project, involved the implementation of a special drink driving countermeasure in the three experimental communities, one in Northern California, one in Southern California and another in South Carolina. This intensified enforcement of driving under the influence (DUI) was designed to deter potential drinking drivers by increasing their perception of the risk of being arrested leading to a reduction in the consumption of alcohol before driving. See component detailed description in Voas (1997, this issue). The evaluation found that media advocacy training and technical assistance resulted in increased DUI news coverage and that additional police officer hours for DUI enforcement, greater use of breathalyzer equipment, increased officer training and more checkpoints produced increased DUI enforcement. The combined effects of increased DUI news coverage and DUI enforcement yielded increased public perceived risk of arrest and subsequently less drinking and driving. Overall the evaluation found that alcohol-involved traffic crashes were reduced as a result of this component in the experimental communities as contrasted with the matched comparison communities.

Summing up: lessons from a comprehensive community prevention trial

This paper presents the findings and lessons from a community prevention trial involving three experimental communities in the United States to reduce alcohol‐involved trauma. The paper provides recommendations for other community prevention efforts. Effectiveness was demonstrated by: (a) 78 fewer alcohol‐involved traffic crashes as a result of the Drinking and Driving Component alone (approximately a 10% reduction); (b) a significant reduction in underage sales of alcohol, i.e. off‐premise outlets sold to minors about one‐half as often as in comparison communities; (c) increased implementation of responsible beverage service policies by bars and restaurants; and (d) increased adoption of local ordinances and regulations to reduce concentrations of alcohol outlets.

Summing up: lessons from a comprehensive community prevention trial

This paper presents the findings and lessons from a community prevention trial involving three experimental communities in the United States to reduce alcohol-involved trauma. The paper provides recommendations for other community prevention efforts. Effectiveness was demonstrated by: (a) 78 fewer alcohol-involved traffic crashes as a result of the Drinking and Driving Component alone (approximately a 10% reduction); (b) a significant reduction in underage sales of alcohol, i.e. off-premise outlets sold to minors about one-half as often as in comparison communities; (c) increased implementation of responsible beverage service policies by bars and restaurants; and (d) increased adoption of local ordinances and regulations to reduce concentrations of alcohol outlets.

Mandated server training and reduced alcohol-involved traffic crashes: A time series analysis of the oregon experience : H. D. Holder, A. C. Wagenaar, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 89–97

In this paper we propose a creative method to support ARIZ, a step-by-step method for problem solving invented by Altshuller in 1956. Specifically, we propose a new formulation of step zero, which deals with clarifying and verifying the problem statement. Since the birth of ARIZ, step zero has been continuously updated; ARIZ-56, ARIZ-59, ARIZ-61, ARIZ-64, ARIZ-65, ARIZ-68, ARIZ-71,ARIZ-75, ARIZ-77, ARIZ-82, and 3 versions of ARIZ-85 prove all attempts to balance convergent and divergent phases in order to change the perspective on the given problem, adding useful information from the market or the patents, igniting lateral thinking and overcoming psychological inertia. After Altshuller's death, ARIZ development has been continued by TRIZ masters and followers without establishing a reference model.This paper proposes a revision of two classical Altshuller's tools, the “multiscreen method” and “76 standard solutions” to be used in the problem formulation phase. The first one is called Film MakerTM and is a simple tool to manage the cause-effect relationship through the description of a film, i.e. a sequence of events. The second one is called “111 Standards” and is a structured elaboration of Altshuller's 76 standard solutions to systematically identify alternative partial solutions. A four step method containing these tools is presented together with an exemplary case.After more than 2 years experimentation within a project commissioned by the chamber of commerce of Bergamo, involving over than 30 companies, we discuss the results and efficacy of this approach

The relationship of the retail availability of alcohol and alcohol sales to alcohol-related traffic crashes

The research literature on the relationship of alcohol consumption to motor vehicle crash risk clearly implicates the importance of minimizing the use of alcohol in conjunction with the operation of motor vehicles. However, there has been relatively little documentation of the direct impact of changes in beverage-specific alcohol sales on the most common surrogate for alcohol-involved traffic crashes, single-vehicle nightime fatalities. Similarly, there have been few studies of the relationship between the physical availability of alcohol and fatal crash rates which have concurrently controlled for differences in alcohol sales. Indeed, the possibility that reduced availability might lead to increases rather than decreases in fatal crashes (due to increased driving after drinking) has not been adequately tested. This paper presents a series of analyses of time-series cross-sectional data from 38 states over 12 years to evaluate the impact of changes in alcohol sales and the physical availability of alcohol upon single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes. The results of the study showed, first, that independent of a number of economic and demographic covariates, rates of single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes were most strongly related to sales of beer and less so to sales of spirits and wine. Second, net of beverage-specific alcohol sales, the physical availability of alcohol was not related to measurable changes in fatal crash rates. Thus, reductions in availability intended to reduce alcohol sales and problems would not appear to increase traffic-related crashes through increased driving exposure.

Mandated server training and reduced alcohol-involved traffic crashes: A time series analysis of the Oregon experience

This paper reports the results from an evaluation of the first statewide mandated training for alcohol servers. The state of Oregon introduced training for all alcohol servers (and for one year all owners/ managers) beginning in December 1986. Servers must complete training once over a five-year cycle; by December 1989, over 50% of servers and managers had been trained. We found statistically significant reductions in single-vehicle nighttime traffic crashes (those with high percentage of alcohol involvement) by the end of 1989 following the implementation of the compulsory server-training policy.

Changes in the form of alcohol availability: Illustration of design and analyses for policy-relevant research

Public policies concerning the availability and price of alcohol are rarely implemented in any country based upon controlled experimental research. Most often alcohol policy changes are implemented and then research into their effects can be conducted. This paper describes two policy studies in North Carolina which analyzed changes in distilled spirits sales (apparent consumption of spirits) and alcohol-involved traffic crashes following a major change in the form of spirits availability. Relative strengths of design and the need to consider other factors are discussed.

Human risk factors in alcohol-related crashes.

This paper reviews the human factors that place drivers at a high risk of alcohol-involved traffic crashes. The following questions are addressed: What data are available on traffic crashes? How is alcohol involvement assessed? Which persons are at risk?