Traffic Offences Research Articles

The Analysis of the Effectiveness of Informing People About Traffic Offences Mechanized Records on The Reduction of Stationary Penalties

The Analysis of the Effectiveness of Informing People About Traffic Offences Mechanized Records on The Reduction of Stationary Penalties

Profiling high-range speeding offenders: Investigating criminal history, personal characteristics, traffic offences, and crash history

This paper reports profiling information for speeding offenders and is part of a larger project that assessed the deterrent effects of increased speeding penalties in Queensland, Australia, using a total of 84,456 speeding offences. The speeding offenders were classified into three groups based on the extent and severity of an index offence: once-only low-rang offenders; repeat high-range offenders; and other offenders. The three groups were then compared in terms of personal characteristics, traffic offences, crash history and criminal history. Results revealed a number of significant differences between repeat high-range offenders and those in the other two offender groups. Repeat high-range speeding offenders were more likely to be male, younger, hold a provisional and a motorcycle licence, to have committed a range of previous traffic offences, to have a significantly greater likelihood of crash involvement, and to have been involved in multiple-vehicle crashes than drivers in the other two offender types. Additionally, when a subset of offenders’ criminal histories were examined, results revealed that repeat high-range speeding offenders were also more likely to have committed a previous criminal offence compared to once only low-range and other offenders and that 55.2% of the repeat high-range offenders had a criminal history. They were also significantly more likely to have committed drug offences and offences against order than the once only low-range speeding offenders, and significantly more likely to have committed regulation offences than those in the other offenders group. Overall, the results indicate that speeding offenders are not an homogeneous group and that, therefore, more tailored and innovative sanctions should be considered and evaluated for high-range recidivist speeders because they are a high-risk road user group.

SY19-4 * NEW EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION IS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING DRUNK DRIVING

Since the prevalence of alcohol use disorders is high among cases of drunk driving (DD), it is said that treatment interventions should be directed at preventing DD. The National Police Agency introduced a specialized two-day lecture program including Brief Intervention (BI) for drivers whose licenses had been revoked at four out of 47 prefectures in 2010. Once the driving license was revoked, he/she was compelled to attend a two-day lecture before retaking the driver's license examination. Before the new program was introduced, all of the traffic offenders attended the same lecture regardless of the reason for the revocation of their drivers' licenses. In this presentation, we compare the efficacy between the new and previous programs. In 2010, 10,745 traffic offenders participated in the lecture (681 were in the new program, while 10,064 were in the conventional program). We compared the rate of traffic offences within a year of attending the program between the two groups. The prevalence of arrests for DD and other traffic offenses in the subjects of the new program were 0% and 15.6%, respectively, while the corresponding figures for participants of the conventional program were 0.54% and 20.9%. These results suggest that BI had deterrent effects against repetition of all traffic offenses including DD, and that the treatment program should be adopted to deter DD. Language: en

Retrospective analysis of synthetic cannabinoids in serum samples – epidemiology and consumption patterns

Herbal mixtures contain synthetic cannabinoids, which can cause severe intoxications. Due to the great variety and the changing spectrum of substances on the drug market, prevalence data are limited, and data on prevalence rates of synthetic cannabinoids in forensic cases are not available. The present study was performed to survey the prevalence of synthetic cannabinoids in cases of traffic and criminal offences in the German state Hesse in 2010. The applied analytical method covered all synthetic cannabinoids on the drug market at that time, and with 20% of the blood samples (422 out of 2201) a representative number was reanalyzed. In twelve samples synthetic cannabinoids were identified and a prevalence of 2.8% was estimated. Consumption patterns showed predominantly cases of multi-drug consumption (10 cases); the combination with cannabis or alcohol was frequent (four cases each). The observed deficits were moderate with the exception of aggravation of paranoia in one case. The symptoms were either compatible with the effects of cannabinoid agonists or attributable to alcohol or other drugs found in the blood samples. Our current analytical strategy is to perform such analyses only in cases where use is suspected or where symptoms are not explained by routine toxicological analyses. Hence, the positive rate is rather low highlighting the need to keep up with the developments on the drug market and to establish sensitive screening methods covering a broad range of substances that can be updated fast, e.g., relying on collections of mass spectrometric reference data.

The Traffic Police Location and Schedule Assignment Problem

ABSTRACTThe traffic police routine patrol vehicle mission is to provide service to the public, primarily through enforcement of traffic laws and assistance to road users after accidents or other calls for service. An efficient traffic police location and schedule assignment (TPLSAP) across a road network ensures that the traffic police undertake their mission effectively. In the search for effective road network cover solutions, a multiple‐objective linear program is developed in the first stage with three distinct objectives. The objective functions maximize the following: (1) traffic police presence and conspicuousness; (2) police presence at blackspots where frequent traffic offences occur; and (3) the time available for proactive work. In the second stage of the TPLSAP formulation, distance and time halo effect integer linear programs produce a detailed, daily shift schedule across the planning horizon. Consequently, we formulate a routine traffic police schedule–location and activity problem, which incorporates road safety recommendations drawn from the literature, police policy and operational constraints. Finally, we apply the formulation to a case study of the interurban road network in Northern Israel, which highlights potential improvements over the current schedules. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Applying Interactive Planning on Leadership in the Organization: The Case of Transforming Public Transport Services in Banjarmasin

Transportation is the main artery of economic and social lives in a region. To sustain routine economic and social activities, government is responsible to procure services of public transportation. Issues in Banjarmasin concerning the transportation facilities procurement is related to the increase of urbanization stream to the city, overflowing of private vehicles, people's low discipline level of using vehicles or many traffic offenses. To overcome the problems, the government of Banjarmasin has to establish appropriate policy concerning municipal public transport system suitable with the changes and demands of Banjarmasin people's needs. This research employs interactive planning method to manufacture future planning, based on the problems encountered, and to design planning to overcome those problems (Ackoff, 1981, 2001). The result of the study shows that, first, a firm and resolved leadership is needed in public transportation system planning in Banjarmasin. Second, the process of public transportation planning by using interactive planning method requires participative principle, continuity principle, and holistic principle in order to be sustainable. Therefore, to support the success of public transport services, Banjarmasin government should implement the planning of transportation policy based on sustainable vision in traffic and public transport systems.

Street racing and stunt driving in Ontario, Canada: Results of a web-based survey of car and racing enthusiasts

In the Canadian context, stunt driving refers to street racing and associated risky driving activities. Although no national official statistics are available, other data have found that stunt driving is a common activity among young males. Research from Australia, New Zealand and other jurisdictions has shown that those engaged in stunt driving are at higher crash and violation risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates of self-reported stunt driving and the effects of thrill seeking, competitive driving and attitudes towards risky driving on self-reported stunt driving among a sample of car and racing enthusiasts through a web-based survey of car and racing clubs. The Internet questionnaire included: (1) personality variables (Driver Thrilling Seeking Scale, Competitive Attitude Toward Driving Scale); (2) beliefs about seriousness and perceived crash likelihood of various drivers and driving behaviours; (3) attitudes regarding Ontario, Canada’s new stunt driving legislation and street racing/stunt driving; (4) risky driving behaviours, as measured by the Manchester Driver Behaviour Questionnaire subscale, Self-Report Driver Aggression Questionnaire, Risk-Taking Driving Scale, collisions in past five years, traffic offences in last year and stunt driving, as defined by Ontario’s Street Racers, Stunt and Aggressive Drivers Legislation. A minority of car and racing enthusiasts reported stunt driving. Clear differences emerged between the self-reported stunt drivers and non-stunt drivers. Stunt drivers were more likely to be young, less concerned about excessive speeding and street racing, to hold more negative attitudes towards Ontario’s stunt driving legislation and more positive attitudes towards street racing and stunt driving, to score higher on the driver thrill seeking, competitive attitude toward driving and risky driving scales and more likely to report traffic offences in the past year. The sequential logistic regression showed that personality characteristics and attitudes provided unique contributions to the model in predicting stunt driving. Thus, although a minority of the sampled car and racing enthusiasts engage in stunt driving, further interventions need to be considered to reduce their risky driving beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.

Attitudes, norms and driving behaviour: A comparison of young drivers in South Africa and Sweden

Culture is increasingly recognised among traffic psychologists to be a factor influencing driving behaviour. This study examines whether a cultural background characterised by rapid social change and high levels of violence and aggression, as in the South African context, has any discernible influences on driving standards or the behaviour of individual drivers. The experiences and attitudes of young drivers in South Africa are compared with a group of young drivers from Sweden, a country whose society has exhibited high levels of stability and where road user behaviour is renowned for its restraint and compliance with regulations.The two cohorts provide information about their exposure to traffic injuries, their attitudes to other drivers and to a range of traffic offences, and to the types of behaviour they personally engage in. Among the South African respondents the notion of a declining standard of driving emerges very clearly, and specific new norms of driving are identified. Such norms are explained to be a consequence of new social values or challenges inherent within contemporary South African society.

Crash Involvement of Motor Vehicles in Relationship to the Number and Severity of Traffic Offenses. An Exploratory Analysis of Dutch Traffic Offenses and Crash Data

Objective: To establish the statistical relationship between offenses and crashes when the unit of analysis is the vehicle instead of the driver, to show the influence of the severity (e.g., minor speed offenses) on this relationship, and to research whether the form of this relationship is similar in different enforcement contexts. Methods: An exploratory analysis was conducted using Dutch traffic offense and crash data. Crash data included all police-registered crashes involving motorized and registered vehicles in 2009; offense data included all non-criminal traffic offenses registered during 2005–2009 (mostly camera detected). Together these comprise an estimated 97 percent of all traffic offenses registered in this period. The analysis was done on a level of identified vehicles rather than persons. Vehicles involved in crashes were matched to vehicles involved in traffic offenses. The offense frequency distributions of registered crash involved vehicles and a random selection of vehicles was analyzed. Two comparisons were made: (1) privately owned vehicles versus company-owned vehicles and (2) vehicles for which only minor speed offenses were registered versus vehicles for which at least one major speed offense was registered. Results: An increase in traffic offense frequency coincides with a stronger increase in relative crash involvement. This relationship was adequately described by a power function. The slightly more than linear increase in the crash risk for vehicles with only minor speed offenses suggests that minor speed offenses (<10 km/h over the limit) contributed slightly to crashes. This relationship was unlikely to be caused by increased distance traveled only. For vehicles with at least one or more major speed violation an approximately quadratic increase of crash risk with increasing speed offense frequency was found. A comparison of Dutch and Canadian data showed a much more progressive offense–crash relationship in the Dutch data. Conclusion: The crash involvement of vehicles increased more than linearly with the number of minor traffic violations. Thus, automatic detection of minor offenses bears relevance to safety. The substantial increase in crash rates with speed offense frequency for vehicles with at least one major speed violation suggests that these vehicles represent a specific group with a significantly increased crash risk, especially in the case of many minor offenses. The more progressive relationship between offenses and crashes in The Netherlands when compared to Canada was hypothesized to result from the higher intensity camera enforcement levels and less severe consequences in the Dutch enforcement and adjudication system. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file.

A Human Rights Critique of Traffic Laws in Nigeria: Lagos State as a Case Study

The paramount objective of this research is to proffer a common ground between the traffic laws, its enforcement, and consequent compliance by road users. The effect of this goal is to allow the laws to be upheld not in their breach, but in their ability to see the current mischief and tackle it accordingly. The traffic law in Nigeria, especially the new Lagos State traffic law, has significant human rights implications that affect the fundamental human rights of the citizenry. The problems associated with road travel in the country cannot be overstated and it is a growing concern for the legislators, the executives, the road traffic agencies, and most especially road users. The number of fatalities and injured persons recorded yearly is alarming. This can be attributed in part to the deteriorating roads, the increasing number of motorcycles “Okada”, ineptitude and corruptness of some road traffic enforcement officers and a major unawareness of provisions of the traffic laws by the generality of the stakeholders. In view of this staggering statistic, this research employs both quantitative and qualitative approach to address the role of statutes in ensuring the safety of lives and property in the country, in a way that will carry along all the stakeholders and not amount to autocracy. This research will show that while enacted laws have a significant role to play in the regulation of traffic in the country, a zero-tolerance approach to traffic offences which has been adopted by the Lagos State government is not an effective and efficient way of ensuring compliance with traffic rules and regulation at the moment. This is because the level of awareness of individual’s rights is on the increase; and every person in a democratic setting has a role to play, with the government having a duty not to impose arbitrary rules on any person. This research aims at being a working guide to subsequent traffic laws that will be enacted by lawmakers in gauging the acceptability of, and compliance to the law by road users; evaluating the enforceability rate of the laws by the relevant authority, and analysing the effectiveness of the zero-tolerance approach to traffic violations by the executives.

The Relationship Between Driving Aberrant Behavior and Self-Reported Accidents Involvement Amongst Professional Bus Drivers in the Public Transportation Company

Background: The most accidents can be directly attributed to human factors. Hence, more traffic crashes result from driver malfunctioning which from among them, the driver behavior is a proximal factor in the road traffic injuries causation chain. Objectives: This study aims to investigate relationship between aberrant driving behaviors questionnaire (DBQ factors) and self-report crashes involvement amongst professional bus drivers of public transportation system. Materials and Methods: This analytical descriptive study was performed on 161 urban bus drivers in Tehran. Proportional sampling method was used to select drivers from nine systems or areas. Data were collected through questionnaire including driver's behavior and their demographic information. Validity and reliability of the driver's behavior questionnaire for bus drivers had been confirmed in a previous study. Data collection was analyzed by Pearson correlation and regression logistic of in SPSS 16 of software. Results: Drivers reported accident involvement during the past three years with mean and standard deviation 2.4 ± 3.2, so that 31.1% had been involved in three or more accidents. There was a negative significant correlation between age and risky violation (P = 0.01). Furthermore, accidents involvement in the last three years was positively correlated with working hours per week (P = 0.003) and traffic offences (P = 0.005). Mistake as a driving aberrant behavior had a direct significant relationship with annual mileage (P = 0.020) and accidents involvement in last three years (P = 0.025). Conclusions: Bus driver’s crashes can be reduced by less driving time and mistakes which is dependent on mileage they drive.

The Criminal History of Repeat DUI Offenders

This study tested whether repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenders have more extensive criminal histories, exclusive of DUI and traffic offenses, than first-time offenders. Analysis of arrest and criminal history data from a random sample of 429 DUI arrestees found that being a repeat DUI offender increased the total number of convictions (regardless of severity), misdemeanor convictions, and petty misdemeanor/violation convictions. The results illustrate the challenges of rehabilitating and deterring DUI recidivists and the potential differences between first-time and repeat DUI offenders. Among DUI recidivists, impaired driving is best viewed as just one manifestation of a host of deviant behaviors.

Police custody following driving under the influence of cannabis: A prospective study

Traffic offences are a common cause of detention in police custody. We hypothesized that drug intoxication while driving could correspond to specific medical conditions of the detainees. Our objective was to evaluate medical features and addictive behaviours of suspected drug drivers and to collect data regarding assaults or injuries in these individuals. We conducted a prospective study (April 2010–December 2011) of suspected drug driving arrestees, who were compared to drink drivers or persons aged over 18 detained for other reasons. Data collected concerned persons’ characteristics, reported assaults, and observed injuries. A total of 205 drivers were tested positive for drugs in blood, 116 were either positive for drugs in urine or saliva and negative in blood, or negative in urine. Cannabis-only users accounted for 201 of 205 drug drivers (98%). Suspected drug driving arrestees had good overall health rating. Drug drivers were younger than controls and requested more rarely medical examination (12% vs. 44%, P<0.0001). They were rarely involved in addiction treatment (3%) and reported assaults or presented traumatic injuries less often than drink drivers and controls (8% vs. 38% and 25%, P<0.0001). Drug drivers were less often alcohol abusers than controls. Their opinion on custody was better than that of controls and they were considered unconditionally fit for detention more frequently (99% vs. 77%, P<0.0001). We conclude that arrested drug drivers were young, healthy, and infrequently reported assaults or presented traumatic injuries, which does not put them in a high risk medical condition. Medical care could include brief interventions on addictive behaviours.

Risky driving behavior among university students and staff in the Sultanate of Oman

BackgroundThere is a well developed literature on research investigating the relationship between various driving behaviors and road crash involvement. However, this research has predominantly been conducted in developed economies dominated by western types of cultural environments. To date no research has been published that has empirically investigated this relationship within the context of the emerging economies such as Oman. ObjectiveThe present study aims to investigate driving behavior as indexed in the driving behavior questionnaire (DBQ) among a group of Omani university students and staff. MethodsA convenience non-probability self-selection sampling approach was utilized with Omani university students and staff. ResultsA total of 1003 Omani students (n=632) and staff (n=371) participated in the survey. Factor analysis of the BDQ revealed four main factors that were errors, speeding violation, lapses and aggressive violation. In the multivariate logistic backward regression analysis, the following factors were identified as significant predictors of being involved in causing at least one crash: driving experience, history of offenses and two DBQ components, i.e., errors and aggressive violation. ConclusionThis study indicates that errors and aggressive violation of the traffic regulations as well as history of having traffic offenses are major risk factors for road traffic crashes among the sample. While previous international research has demonstrated that speeding is a primary cause of crashing, in the current context, the results indicate that an array of factors is associated with crashes. Further research using more rigorous methodology is warranted to inform the development of road safety countermeasures in Oman that improves overall Traffic Safety Culture.

Global Warming Potential Implications and Methodological Challenges of Road Transport Emissions in Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to examine the repercussions vehicular road transport emissions have on global warming potential (GWP), and the need to address the issue considering methodological challenges facing road transportation in Nigeria. Specific objectives of the study includes to determine the emission level in the country, to evaluate the GWP and to develop a emission mapping network on trunk A roads in Nigeria. Accurate information on these emissions is required to strengthen the mitigation and adaptation ability of the country to tackle climate change. The study relied on direct measurement technique supported by literature as well as questionnaires administered on the organised vehicle fleet operators and road traffic management agency as data gathering methods. Also, detailed analysis of questionnaires responses was carried out. Results show that road transport account for over 14% of greenhouse gases. Survey findings indicate that excessive smoke emission offence accounts for 1-2% of the annual road traffic offences in Nigeria. Using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 16, five fitted simple linear regression models were developed. With these fitted models it is possible to map the gas concentrations on the kilometre travelled. Examination of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) revealed a rise in the periodic plate number generation from yearly record of 788,169 in 2001 to 791,832 in 2009. Human capacity requirements, based on yearly Drivers Licence (DL) processed, increased by 55% between 2000 and 2010. Three mutual strategies namely renewed urban and rural road transport infrastructure availability, regular fleet maintenance and capacities building for improved behavioural change of road users were recommended to help control road transport emissions. These measures if inflexibly implemented will change the transport sector from being a major global warming risk factor to that of Eco-friendly sector.

Modeling offenses among motorcyclists involved in crashes in Spain

In relative terms, Spanish motorcyclists are more likely to be involved in crashes than other drivers and this tendency is constantly increasing. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that are related to being an offender in motorcycle accidents. A binary logit model is used to differentiate between offender and non-offender motorcyclists. A motorcyclist was considered to be offender when s/he had committed at least one traffic offense at the moment previous to the crash. The analysis is based on the official accident database of the Spanish general directorate of traffic (DGT) for the 2003–2008 time period. A number of explanatory variables including motorcyclist characteristics and environmental factors have been evaluated. The results suggest that inexperienced, older females, not using helmets, absent-minded and non-fatigued riders are more likely to be offenders. Moreover, riding during the night, on weekends, for leisure purposes and along roads in perfect condition, mainly on curves, predict offenses among motorcyclists. The findings of this study are expected to be useful in developing traffic policy decisions in order to improve motorcyclist safety.

Washington State's Alcohol Ignition Interlock Law: Effects on Recidivism Among First-Time DUI Offenders

Objective: To examine the effects of changes to Washington State's ignition interlock laws: moving issuance of interlock orders from courts to the driver licensing department in July 2003 and extending the interlock order requirement to first-time offenders with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) below 0.15 percent (“first simple driving under the influence [DUI]”) in June 2004. Method: Trends in conviction types, interlock installation rates, and 2-year cumulative recidivism rates were examined for first-time convictions (simple, high-BAC, test refusal DUI; deferred prosecution; alcohol-related negligent driving) stemming from DUI arrests between January 1999 and June 2006. Regression analyses examined recidivism effects of the law changes and interlock installation rates. To examine general deterrent effects, trends in single-vehicle late-night crashes in Washington were compared with trends in California and Oregon. Results: After the 2004 law change, the proportion of simple DUIs declined somewhat, though the proportion of negligent driving convictions (no interlock order requirement) continued an upward trend. Interlock installation rates for first simple DUIs were 3 to 6 percent in the year before the law change and one third after. Recidivism declined by an estimated 12 percent (e.g., expected 10.6% without law change vs. 9.3% among offenders arrested between April and June 2006, the last study quarter) among first simple DUI offenders and an estimated 11 percent (expected 10.2% vs. 9.1%) among all first-time offenders. There was an estimated 0.06 percentage point decrease in the recidivism rate for each percentage point increase in the proportion of first simple DUI offenders with interlocks. If installation rates had been 100 vs. 34 percent for first simple DUI offenders arrested between April and June 2006, and if the linear relationship between rates of recidivism and installations continued, recidivism could have been reduced from 9.3 to 5.3 percent. With installation rates of 100 vs. 24 percent for all first offenders, their recidivism rate could have fallen from 9.1 to 3.2 percent. Although installation rates increased somewhat after the 2003 law change, recidivism rates were not significantly affected, perhaps due to the short follow-up period before the 2004 law change. The 2004 law change was associated with an 8.3 percent reduction in single-vehicle late-night crash risk. Conclusions: Mandating interlock orders for all first DUI convictions was associated with reductions in recidivism, even with low interlock use rates, and reductions in crashes. Additional gains are likely achievable with higher rates. Jurisdictions should seek to increase use rates and reconsider permitting reductions in DUI charges to other traffic offenses without interlock order requirements.

Location-allocation models for traffic police patrol vehicles on an interurban network

This research investigates the traffic police routine patrol vehicle (RPV) assignment problem on an interurban road network through a series of integer linear programs. The traffic police RPV’s main task, like other emergency services, is to handle calls-for-service. Emergency services allocation models are generally based on the shortest path algorithm however, the traffic police RPV also handles other roles, namely patrolling to create a presence that acts as a deterrence, and issuing tickets to offenders. The RPVs need to be located dynamically on both hazardous sections and on roads with heavy traffic in order to increase their presence and conspicuousness, in an attempt to prevent or reduce traffic offences, road accidents and traffic congestion. Due to the importance of the traffic patrol vehicle’s location with regard to their additional roles, allocation of the RPVs adheres to an exogenous, legal, time-to-arrival constraint. We develop location-allocation models and apply them to a case study of the road network in northern Israel. The results of the four models are compared to each other and in relation to the current chosen locations. The multiple formulations provide alternatives that jointly account for road safety and policing objectives which aid decision-makers in the selection of their preferred RPV assignments. The results of the models present a location-allocation configuration per RPV per shift with full call-for-service coverage whilst maximizing police presence and conspicuousness as a proxy for road safety.

The untouchables: transnational organized crime behind diplomatic privileges and immunities

Since its initiation in 1961, 187 nations have signed the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, thus agreeing to a standard set of principles regulating the diplomatic intercourse. In recent years, cases of offence with the involvement of diplomatic agents have brought diplomatic advantages to sharp criticism. This article is not concerned with violations of administrative rules such as traffic offence. Neither does it is concerned with single occurrences of violence committed by diplomatic agents. The main focus is to investigate various types of abuse of diplomatic immunities and privileges for the purpose of organizing, facilitating and conducting criminal activities that have become recognized as transnational organized crime. The findings of the article shed light to a wider understanding of diplomatic entitlements that may serve as facilitators of transnational organized crime.

Determination of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate from dried blood spots

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) are non-oxidative minor metabolites of ethanol. They are detectable in various body fluids shortly after initial consumption of ethanol and have a longer detection time frame than the parent compound. They are regarded highly sensitive and specific markers of recent alcohol uptake. This study evaluates the determination of EtG and EtS from dried blood spots (DBS), a simple and cost-effective sampling method that would shorten the time gap between offense and blood sampling and lead to a better reflectance of the actual impairment. For method validation, EtG and EtS standard and quality control samples were prepared in fresh human heparinized blood and spotted on DBS cards, then extracted and measured by an LC-ESI-MS/MS method. Additionally, 76 heparinized blood samples from traffic offense cases were analyzed for EtG and EtS as whole blood and as DBS specimens. The results from these measurements were then compared by calculating the respective mean values, by a matched-paired t test, by a Wilcoxon test, and by Bland-Altman and Mountain plots. Calibrations for EtG and EtS in DBS were linear over the studied calibration range. The precision and accuracy of the method met the requirements of the validation guidelines that were employed in the study. The stability of the biomarkers stored as DBS was demonstrated under different storage conditions. The t test showed no significant difference between whole blood and DBS in the determination of EtG and EtS. In addition, the Bland-Altman analysis and Mountain plot confirmed that the concentration differences that were measured in DBS specimens were not relevant.