Search

Background: Information on recent alcohol-related non-fatal motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries is limited. Objectives: To analyze alcohol-related non-fatal MVC injuries, 2019–2022, considering COVID-19 and Stay-at-Home policies. Methods: State-level counts of alcohol-related non-fatal MVC injuries (involving individuals age 15+) from Emergency Medical Services data in 18 US states, chosen for comprehensive coverage, were analyzed for the annual rate. The total non-fatal MVC injury count in each state served as the denominator. We used analysis of variance to evaluate annual rate changes from 2019 to 2022 and used robust Poisson regression to compare annual mean rates to the 2019 baseline, pre-pandemic, excluding Quarter 1 due to COVID-19's onset in Quarter 2. Additional Poisson models compared rate changes by 2020 Stay-at-Home policies. Results: Data from 18 states were utilized (N = 1,487,626, 49.5% male). When evaluating rate changes of alcohol-related non-fatal MVC injuries from period 1 (Q2–4 2019) through period 4 (Q2–4 2022), the rate significantly increased from period 1 (2019) to period 2 (2020) by 0.024 (p =.003), then decreased from period 2 to period 4 (2022) by 0.016 (p =.04). Compared to the baseline (period 1), the rate in period 2 was 1.27 times higher. States with a 2020 Stay-at-Home policy, compared to those without, had a 30% lower rate (p =.05) of alcohol-related non-fatal MVC injuries. States with partial and mandatory Stay-at-Home policies had a 5.2% (p =.01) and 10.5% (p <.001) annual rate decrease, respectively. Conclusion: Alcohol-related non-fatal MVC injury rates increased initially (2019–2020) but decreased thereafter (2020–2022). Stay-at-home policies effectively reduced these rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Milder penalty measures can reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes. • Harsher penalty measures are more efficient for the prevention of fatalities. • Diversification of consumed alcoholic beverages reduces the number of crashes. • The reduction of high-content-alcoholic beverages is required to prevent fatalities. • Control of endogeneity helps to discover true determinants of crashes and deaths. Introduction: This article addresses the impact of policy measures on the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in European Union countries. In particular, it assesses (1) whether mild or severe penalty measures should be used to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities caused by alcohol; and (2) whether alcoholic beverages should be treated differently or proportionally to their alcohol content. Methods: This study analyzed the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in 24 European Union countries between 2002 and 2014. The methodology involved fixed-effects panel models, models with instrumental variables, the Hausman–Taylor model, and seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR). SUR improve the results of coefficient estimates when the data are not complete. Results: The results of the SUR indicated that vehicle impoundment, community service, and alcolocks correlate with lower crashes, while detention correlates with lower fatalities. Furthermore, a higher alcohol content in beverages is positively associated with fatalities and negatively associated with the number of crashes. Conclusions: Mild and harsh measures for preventing alcohol-related crashes and fatalities differ in effectiveness; therefore, they should be used simultaneously. Blood alcohol concentration limits were found to be an ineffective tool for preventing crashes and fatalities under the influence of alcohol. Practical implications: The regulatory restrictions on different types of alcohol should be stricter for hard alcohol (especially spirits) and lower for low-alcohol beverages, such as beer, if fewer fatalities are preferred to fewer crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts warn that drivers who fail to take regular breaks when driving long distances are at high risk of becoming drowsy, which can often go unrecognized until it is too late. Studies show that approximately 25% of all serious motorway accidents are caused by tired drivers who need rest, making drowsy driving a more significant contributor to accidents than drunk driving. To address this issue, Attention Assist is a system that can alert drivers to inattentiveness and drowsiness across a wide range of speeds. It can also provide drivers with information about their current level of fatigue and the time elapsed since their last break. The system offers adjustable sensitivity and can provide warnings to drivers, indicating nearby service areas where they can take a break if necessary. By helping drivers recognize and address their drowsiness, this system can improve road safety and prevent accidents caused by tiredness while driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, 3356 alcohol-related traffic crashes were obtained from blood-alcohol test reports in Tianjin, China. Population density, intersection density, road density, and alcohol outlet densities, including retail density, entertainment density, restaurant density, company density, hotel density, and residential density, were extracted from 2114 traffic analysis zones (TAZs). After a spatial autocorrelation test, the multiple linear regression model (MLR), geographically weighted Poisson regression model (GWPR), and semi-parametric geographically weighted Poisson regression model (SGWPR) were utilized to explore the spatial effects of the aforementioned variables on drunk-driving crash density. The result shows that the SGWPR model based on the adaptive Gaussian function had the smallest AICc value and the best-fitting accuracy. The residential density and the intersection density are global variables, and the others are local variables that have different influences in different regions. Furthermore, we found that the influence of local variables in the economic–technological development area shows significantly different characteristics compared with other districts. Thus, a comprehensive consideration of spatial heterogeneity would be able to improve the effectiveness of the programs formulated to decrease drunk driving crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute alcohol intoxication impairs cognitive and psychomotor abilities leading to various public health hazards such as road traffic accidents and alcohol-related violence. Intoxicated individuals are usually identified by measuring their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) using breathalyzers that are expensive and labor intensive. In this paper, we developed the Audio-based Deep Learning Algorithm to Identify Alcohol Inebriation (ADLAIA) that can instantly predict an individual's intoxication status based on a 12-s recording of their speech. ADLAIA was trained on a publicly available German Alcohol Language Corpus that comprises a total of 12,360 audio clips of inebriated and sober speakers (total of 162, aged 21–64, 47.7% female). ADLAIA's performance was determined by computing the unweighted average recall (UAR) and accuracy of inebriation prediction. ADLAIA was able to identify inebriated speakers – with a BAC of 0.05% or higher – with an UAR of 68.09% and accuracy of 67.67%. ADLAIA had a higher performance (UAR of 75.7%) in identifying intoxicated speakers (BAC > 0.12%). Being able to identify intoxicated individuals solely based on their speech, ADLAIA could be integrated into mobile applications and used in environments (such as bars, sports stadiums) to get instantaneous results about inebriation status of individuals. • ADLAIA can outperform humans in identifying alcohol-inebriated individuals based solely on 12 seconds of their speech. • ADLAIA could be integrated into mobile applications and used as a preliminary tool for identifying alcohol-inebriation. • ADLAIA was able to identify inebriated speakers – with BAC of 0.05% or higher – with an UAR of 68.09% and accuracy of 67.67%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore how specific situational variables (remoteness, speed zones, days of the week, hours of the day) and risk factors (risky behaviours and road-related conditions) might influence the comparative likelihood and severity of alcohol-related crashes (ARCs). Vehicle crash data (N = 63,226) were analysed and included the details of crashes between 2015 and 2019. In comparison to non-ARCs, ARCs were up to two times more likely to occur in rural areas and on weekdays, and two to four times more likely in the late evening and early morning (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.). In addition, risky road conditions and driving behaviours were found to significantly increase both ARC likelihood and severity, with some factors (e.g., speeding) increasing fatality risk by up to nine times. Overall, this study highlights the specific risks associated with drink driving and highlights situational factors that may increase crash risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, Japan's Road Traffic Act uses the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), which is the concentration of alcohol in 1 L of breath, to enforce the law. However, 400 drunk driving accidents occurred in 2020 when the BrAC was below 0.15 mg/L, which is legal limit in Japan, and cognitive function may be impaired at this concentration. Therefore, we investigated the effects of alcohol consumption at levels below a BrAC of 0.15 mg/L on cognitive function and its change over time using P300, a type of event-related potential, and the concomitant negative variation (CNV). Beer with a 5% alcohol content was used as the drinking load, and the amount of alcohol consumed was determined using a derivation formula that varied according to the subject's body weight. Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements were obtained five times before drinking and 10, 30, 50, and 70 min after, and participants were given a go/no-go task to induce event-related potentials during the measurements. The BrAC was measured immediately before the EEG measurement was performed. The results revealed that the alcohol concentration in the exhaled breath increased significantly (p<0.05) at 10, 30, and 50 min after drinking compared with immediately before. In addition, the P300 latency was significantly prolonged (p<0.05), and the early and late CNV amplitudes were significantly increased (p<0.05) in the event-related potentials during these time periods. Moreover, no significant difference was observed in expiratory alcohol concentration at 70 min post-drinking, but significant changes in event-related potentials still occurred. Therefore, our results suggest that cognitive function is impaired in patients with low levels of alcohol consumption, when the BrAC is below the legal limit, and even when the BrAC recovers after the end of alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Punjab's alcohol-poisoning tragedy garnered attention when it followed a period of national alcohol ban consequent to India's pandemic lockdown in March 2020. CONCLUSION There is a need for more rigorous studies of alcohol-poisoning reportage given the recent interest in health issues, the widespread pandemic surge in alcohol-use behaviors and media coverage of India's alcohol policy. COVID-19 lockdowns and its disruptions brought significant changes in alcohol use and addictive behaviors. Regulatory, taxation, and control policies vary across states as much as types of alcohol consumed such as foreign liquor, Indian-made foreign liquor, and various locally brewed (traditional, I desi i ) liquors. [Extracted from the article]

In March 2020, Ohio, along with many other states, enacted a stay-at-home order (i.e., "shutdown") to limit the spread of COVID-19. As a result of lower traffic, crashes should also have declined. We investigated whether crash rates declined in Ohio during the stay-at-home order and explore possible predictors for the decrease, such as reduced travel in compliance with the order, along with speeding, alcohol, and drug use. In addition, we examined whether support for President Trump would relate to greater travel and greater crashes (particularly during the stay-at-home order, when greater travel indicated lower compliance). The overall rate of crashes fell as people stayed home, mainly due to a decline in minor crashes. In contrast, the rate of serious crashes did not fall. Instead, percentage of alcohol-related crashes increased during the stay-at-home order, and the reduction in travel was associated with greater speeding-related crashes. Because alcohol and speeding tend to increase crash severity, these two factors may explain why severe crash rates were not reduced by lower traffic. Instead, it appears that those drivers remaining on the roads during the shutdown may have been more prone to risky behaviors, evidenced by a greater percentage of alcohol-related crashes across the state during the shutdown and greater speed-related crashes in counties with less traffic. In addition, county-level support for President Trump indirectly predicted greater rates of crashes (of all types) via increased travel (i.e., lower compliance with the shutdown), even while controlling for county-level income, rurality, and Appalachian region. Importantly, this mediated effect was stronger during the weeks of the shutdown, when greater travel indicated lower compliance. Thus, lower compliance with the stay-at-home order and increased risky driving behaviors by remaining drivers may explain why lower traffic did not lead to lower serious crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fifth of alcohol-impaired Iowa motorcyclists involved in crashes were not charged. • Nearly-one-third of alcohol-impaired drivers did not receive alcohol charges. • Among motorcyclists with an alcohol charge, 87% had an alcohol-related conviction. • Drivers charged with more than one offense type were more likely to be convicted. • Having multiple charge types did not result in higher alcohol-specific convictions. Introduction: Motorcycle fatality rates are increasing, and impaired driving is a major contributing factor. Impaired driving laws are a main component of state efforts to reduce drunk driving, but motorcycle crash charge and conviction outcomes have yet to be studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate driver charge and conviction outcomes following alcohol-related motorcycle crashes. Methods: Data for this study were drawn from Iowa crash, charge, and conviction data from 2011 to 2018. The study sample included 480 alcohol-influenced drivers (428 motorcyclists and 52 other vehicle drivers) involved in motorcycle crashes. Driver crash-related charges were categorized by type: Alcohol, Moving Violations, and Administrative/Miscellaneous. Factors associated with convictions were determined and estimated with multivariable logistic regression models. The main factor of interest was charge combination. Results: Over three-quarters (78.5%) of the 480 alcohol-influenced drivers in crashes received any charge type and 68.1% received an alcohol-related charge. Among drivers with any charge, 88.6% were convicted, and among drivers with alcohol charges, 87.2% were convicted on an alcohol charge. After adjusting for BAC, drivers with a combination of Alcohol, Administrative, and Moving Violation charges had more than three times the odds of conviction of any charge compared to drivers with alcohol only charges (OR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.00–10.26). However, charge combinations had little impact on alcohol-related convictions. Conclusions: Convictions were more likely when the impaired driver was charged with multiple types of offenses than with a single offense. An increased variety of charges was not associated with greater rates of conviction on alcohol-specific charges, which had high conviction rates overall. Practical Applications : Law enforcement officers should be informed that lesser infractions impact driver conviction outcomes in alcohol-related crashes and procedures for issuing charges should be evaluated to assure equitable enforcement and to hold drivers accountable for unsafe driving behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health crisis that began in early 2020 has generated a large amount of interest in the effect of COVID-19 on public health. The majority of this work has centered around trying to better understand how the virus spreads, where it spreads, who is at risk and when, in order to provide evidence-based guidance to the public, and stop the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control has continued to report the largely somber findings; however, there are silver linings. The temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions was one of these, but there are others. In this case study on Miami-Dade County, Fl, a regression discontinuity model is used to highlight reductions in both drunk driving crashes and driving under the influence arrests. While we observed immediate reductions in both crashes and arrests as a result of the March 2020 lockdown, more importantly over the duration of the year since the lockdown we observed a staggering reduction of over 800 fewer driving under the influence arrests and almost 150 alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2018, Scotland introduced a minimum unit price on alcohol. We examine the impact of this policy on traffic fatalities and drunk driving accidents. Using administrative data on the universe of vehicle collisions in Britain and a range of quasi‐experimental modeling approaches, we do not find that the policy had an effect on road crash deaths and drunk driving collisions. The results are robust to several sensitivity exercises. There is no evidence of effect heterogeneity by income and other predictors of alcohol consumption or cross‐border effects. A brief discussion of the policy implications of our findings is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road Accident is a significant concern in every county. According to WHO (World Health Organization) reports, 1.3 million people died in road traffic crashes, and in India, the total number of 449,002 accidents in the year 2019 led to 151,113 deaths and 451,361 injuries; this will be increasing by the day. Drunk and driving alcohol is the momentous root cause of the accidental tragedy. During the drunk and drive, there is a chance person will move very fast, so we have to check the acceleration speed of the vehicle. Sometimes a person has drowsiness during driving, whether the person is drunk or not, so we have to check the eye position of the person with the help of IoT (internet of Things) devices. This study offered a model and concept for preventing such human suffering by detecting, preventing, and informing the system using today's dominating technologies, such as IoT, Machine Learning, and Blockchain. In the proposed model on the embedded Blockchain, devices are smartly controlled. The system is built on an IoT sensor and associated sensors to detect the amount of alcohol in a driver's breath, gather data for accuracy, and make a judgment using machine learning. However, because IoT devices have a central server, attackers target the system, use Distributed Denial of Service, and temper exploit its flaws. Component-based Blockchain will also significantly boost the system's scalability and security. The suggested precise result and data received by IoT devices will not degrade, and all connected nodes will assist in resolving the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Alcohol use has been linked to impairment of cognitive and psychomotor driving skills, yet the extent to which skill impairment contributes to actual crashes is unknown. A reasonable assumption is that some driving situations have higher skill demands than others. We contend that intersections, the presence of other vehicles or moving objects, and work zones are examples of common situations with higher skill demands. Accordingly, if skill deficits are largely responsible for alcohol-involved crashes, crashes involving a drinking driver (versus only sober drivers) should be overrepresented in these driving situations. Method: Publicly available FARS data from 2010 to 2017 were collected. Fatal crashes were coded as alcohol-involved (1+ driver with a blood alcohol concentration [BAC] ≥.05 g/dl) or having no impaired driver (BACs =.000). Drug-positive crashes were excluded. Crashes were also coded as involving moving versus stationary objects, occurring at versus away from intersections, being multivehicle versus single vehicle, occurring at or away from work zones. Results: Across multiple models, controlling for time of day and type of road, alcohol-involved crashes were significantly underrepresented in crashes at intersections, with moving objects, and other vehicles. Most strikingly, alcohol-involved crashes were 24 percentage points more likely to be with a stationary object than a moving object. Conclusions: No evidence supported the idea that skill reductions are a primary contributor to alcohol-involved crashes. Alternative explanations and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effects of the German zero tolerance law were studied over a period of a decade. • Alcohol-related crashes and offences were analysed and a survey was conducted. • Current novice drivers were less involved in alcohol-related crashes or offences. • The effect associated with the measure can even be observed for former novice drivers. • The acceptance of the measure is high among current and former novice drivers. In 2007, the German legislature introduced a zero tolerance law (ZTL) for novice drivers to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the long-term effects of this law on current and former novice drivers. Method: Our approach was threefold: first, we used individual data of police records from 2003-2018 and conducted a cohort analysis to examine how the first cohort affected by the law responded in the long-term. Second, we analyzed the influence of the ZTL on alcohol-related traffic offenses by current novice drivers. Third, we conducted a survey to examine if the acceptance, knowledge, and behavior regarding the ZTL have changed compared to a decade ago. Results: The number of alcohol-related crashes was significantly lower in the first affected cohort than in earlier cohorts. Moreover, current novice drivers had lower levels of alcohol-related crashes and alcohol-related traffic offenses than did novice drivers before the ZTL became effective. The survey showed a high level of acceptance and knowledge in both current and first cohort and a decreased importance of drinking and driving. Conclusion: The ZTL is associated with a long-term increase of traffic safety in Germany. Former novice drivers appear to have retained learned behavior toward drinking and driving. Thus, the ZTL might have an impact on perceived norms resulting in less acceptance of drinking and driving. Changes in society, like lower alcohol consumption and decreased importance of passenger cars among young people, further accelerated these effects. Practical applications: ZTL for novice drivers are an effective way to improve traffic safety. It is associated with a positive effect on traffic safety even when drivers were no longer directly affected by the measure. These findings suggest that policies are an effective tool to improve traffic safety and help towards achieving Vision Zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, alcohol-related road traffic accidents represent a major avoidable health risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of self-estimating the degree of acute alcohol intoxication regarding the legal driving limit, and to identify risk factors for misjudgement. Methods: In this prospective randomised controlled crossover trial, 90 social drinkers (mean age 23.9 ± 3.5 years, 50% female) consumed either beer or wine. Study group subjects were made aware when exceeding the legal driving limit (BrAC = 0.05%). Controls received no information about their BrAC. For crossover, beer or wine were consumed in the opposite order. Results: 39–53% of all participants exceeded the legal driving limit whilst under the impression to be still permitted to drive. Self-estimation was significantly more accurate on study day 2 (p = 0.009). Increasing BrAC positively correlated with self-estimation inaccuracy, which was reproducible during crossover. Multiple regression analysis revealed fast drinking and higher alcohol levels as independent risk factors for inaccurate self-estimation. Conclusions: Social drinkers are commonly unaware of exceeding the legal driving limit when consuming alcohol. Self-estimating alcohol intoxication can be improved through awareness. Dedicated awareness programs, social media campaigns and government advice communications should be utilised to address this avoidable hazard. Trial registration The trial was registered prospectively at the Witten/Herdecke University Ethics Committee (trial registration number 140/2016 on 04/11/2016) and at the DRKS—German Clinical Trials Register (trial registration number DRKS00015285 on 08/22/2018—Retrospectively registered). Trial protocol can be accessed online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is consensus that riding with an impaired driver (RWI) constitutes a major threat to public health. The aim of this study was to characterize the factors contributing to the motor-vehicle deaths of 15–20 year-old (y/o) passengers that RWI with a peer. Method: Secondary analyses of the 2010–2018 Fatality Analysis Reporting System. 5,673 passengers aged 15–20 y/o killed while riding in passenger cars with a driver aged 21 or older, 3,542 of these drivers also aged 15–20 y/o. Analyses were conducted between October 2019 and December 2020. Results: Sixty-three percent of the young passengers were killed while riding with a driver 15–20 y/o. Of these drivers, 26.8% had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >0.00 g/dL and 77.1% had a BAC ≥0.08 g/dL. Compared with those occurring during the day on weekdays, fatalities of young passengers who RWI with a peer driver with a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dL often occurred on weekend nights (OR = 8.2) and weekday nights (OR = 5.2), and when the passenger and driver were both male (OR = 1.8). Race/ethnicity was not a significant contributor to RWI fatalities. Conclusions: Most 15–20 y/o RWI fatalities occurred on weekends, at night, when the driver was a young peer with a high BAC, and the passenger and driver were male. The high prevalence of fatalities in these high-risk situations suggests that young driver-passenger dynamics may contribute to alcohol-related fatalities. Practical Applications: To curb RWI fatalities among underage passengers, countermeasures should focus not only on underage drinking drivers and riders, but also on drinking drivers of all ages. Prevention should increase focus on situations in which both the young passenger and young driver are males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Following license suspension, risk of crash outcome was greater than risk of license outcome. • Lower incidence of future license and crash outcomes following repeat versus initial suspension. • Magnitude of decreased incidence (repeat vs. initial) of future outcomes varied by race/ethnicity. License suspensions are a strategy to address alcohol-impaired driving behavior and recidivism following an alcohol driving while impaired (alcohol-DWI) conviction. Little is known about the specific impacts of conviction-related suspensions on safety outcomes and given recent fluctuations in alcohol-impaired driving behavior, crashes, and suspension trends, updated and focused assessments of this intervention are necessary. This study aimed to 1) examine the association between type of recent alcohol-DWI suspension and having a secondary alcohol-related license outcome and/or future crash event in North Carolina (NC) between 2007 and 2016; and 2) assess potential modification of these associations by race/ethnicity. We used linked NC licensing data, NC crash data, and county-level contextual data from a variety of data sources. We compared individuals ages 21 to 64 who sustained initial (1-year) versus repeat (4-year) suspensions for alcohol-related license and crash involvement outcomes. We estimated unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) using Cox proportional hazards models and produced Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves using a three-year follow-up period. After observing statistically significant modification by race/ethnicity, we calculated stratified aHRs for each outcome (Black and White subgroups only, as other subgroups had low numbers of outcomes). 122,002 individuals sustained at least one alcohol-DWI conviction suspension (117,244 initial, 4,758 repeat). Adjusted KM survival curves indicated that within three years of the index suspension, the predicted risks of having a license outcome and crash outcome were about 8 % and 15 %, respectively, among individuals with an initial suspension and 5 % and 10 %, respectively, among individuals with a repeat suspension. After adjusting for potential confounding, we found that compared to those with an initial suspension, those with repeat suspensions had a lower incidence of future license (aHR: 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.42, 0.57) and crash outcomes (aHR: 0.67; 95 % CI: 0.60, 0.75). Among Black individuals, license outcome incidence was 162 % lower among repeat versus initial index suspension groups (aHR: 0.38; 95 % CI: 0.26, 0.55), while for White individuals, the incidence was 87 % lower (aHR: 0.54; 95 % CI: 0.45, 0.64). Similarly, crash incidence for repeat versus initial suspensions among Black individuals was 56 % lower (aHR: 0.64; 95 % CI: 0.50, 0.83), while only 39 % lower among White individuals (aHR: 0.72; 95 % CI: 0.63, 0.81). Decreased incidence of both license and crash outcomes were observed among repeat versus initial index suspensions. The magnitude of these differences varied by race/ethnicity, with larger decreases in incidence among Black compared to White individuals. Future research should examine the underlying mechanisms leading to alcohol-impaired driving behavior, convictions, recidivism, and crashes from a holistic social-ecological perspective so that interventions are designed to both improve road safety and maximize other critical public health outcomes, such as access to essential needs and services (e.g., healthcare and employment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vision Zero uses a systems approach to eliminate fatal and serious road injuries. • With Vision Zero, road users following basic rules are unlikely to be killed. • Road users who are behaving dangerously can be addressed through vehicle technology. • Behavioral policies and programs define and encourage "normal driving". • Technologies can be selected to detect and prevent or compensate for dangerous driving. Vision Zero involves the use of a systems approach to eliminate fatal and serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes by accommodating basic human limitations that lead to crashes through fundamental behavioral expectations, together with sound vehicle and road design. Alcohol-related crashes account for a significant proportion of motor vehicle crash death and injury and can be addressed in a safe road transport system. We look at near-term policy and program interventions that are known to motivate drivers to make safe drinking and driving decisions, and possibilities for using technology over the longer term to address risks resulting from driver impairment that is either inadvertent or willful high-risk behavior. From the Vision Zero perspective,"normal driving" refers to a situation where traffic and road users are operating as desired and planned. A driver in this normal driving envelope operates at a safe speed, wears a seat belt, focuses on the driving task, and is not impaired. A safe system accommodates human errors, mistakes, and misjudgments in the normal driving envelope. However, it may not be capable of compensating for deliberate violations and rule-breaking. A critical role of behavioral programs and policies is to motivate safe decisions by drivers and other road users and keep them in the normal driving envelope where they can be protected from unintentional errors by a safe system. While much progress has been made in developing and implementing impaired driving policies and programs, much potential remains in the their ability to motivate drivers to meet the fundamental expectations required in a safe system. Examples of behavioral programs and policies that have strong evidence of effectiveness but are underutilized in the U.S. include conducting periodic sobriety checkpoints, lowering the blood alcohol concentration limit for driving, and mandating the use of ignition interlock devices. While the specific interventions may differ, it is likely that the same situation of incomplete implementation of behavioral programs and policies - and consequent unrealized value to a comprehensive safe system - applies to many other nations. To reach the goal of zero deaths, a comprehensive Vision Zero program needs to address the problem of deliberate risk-taking, which can include driver impairment from alcohol or other causes and extend to dangerous and reckless driving. Advanced safety technologies offer a range of opportunities for this purpose. Cars available today and in the future will have a plethora of sensors that monitor circumstances inside and around the car. These systems can identify whether a driver is in their safe driving envelope and respond with interventions that are appropriate for the severity and nature of the risk. Interventions could range from those that are not perceivable to the driver, such as putting driver assist systems into active mode, to stronger steps such as limiting or preventing vehicle operation. Zero fatalities or serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes is possible with a systems approach that accommodates human errors and mistakes that occur with the normal driving envelope and incorporates effective responses to deliberate risk-taking outside of this envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcoholism is a chronic addiction to alcoholic beverages. It is manifested through a strong desire to drink, loss of control when drinking, symptoms of physical withdrawal and increased tolerance to alcohol. Alcohol addiction is a severe mental disorder because it leads to a pathological process, which changes the way the brain functions. Alcoholism in the long run causes a whole range of serious health problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol poisoning, heart disease, kidney disease as well as a whole range of mental disorders. There are numerous and indirect consequences of alcoholism in the form of traffic accidents and accidents at work. Frequent alcohol consumption is one of the important criminogenic factors resulting in an increased crime rate. Attitudes towards drinking are formed already in childhood and early adolescence, and very often according to the model of identification with loved ones. Alcoholism as such is a familial disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol-related road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the foremost threat to the civilization due to premature loss of life. Policy-making is one such tool for reduction of alcohol-related RTAs. Andhra Pradesh state government implemented the Prohibition and Excise Policy for 2019-20 with respect to liquor sales from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. Aim: This study aims at documenting the reduction of alcohol-related RTAs (head injuries and others) after the introduction of the new policy. Methodology: Case series involving all the RTAs reported to the Government General Hospital, Kakinada, during September 2018–February 2019 and September 2019–February 2020. Secondary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, from the hospital accident registers, in the medical records department. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010. Results and Discussion: There is a significant decrease in number of fractures sustained in RTAs from 12.5% in 2018–19 to 9.5% in 2019–20 (P = 0.018, 95% CL). The proportion of RTAs occurring under the influence of alcohol reduced from 9.4% in 2018–19 to 8.4% in 2019–20. There is a marked reduction in deaths of RTA cases, and grievous injuries and head injuries have also reduced during September 19–February 2020 as compared to September 18– February 2019. Conclusions: The fatal injuries sustained in RTAs under the influence of alcohol dramatically reduced to zero from November 2019 to February 2020, suggesting a protective effect of the new prohibition of liquor sales policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a volatile liquid detector by engaging metal oxide sensor, which is further assisted by an Arduino kit to develop a prototype of alcohol detection. We have used ethanol as the main volatile liquid to design the prototype. To verify the most selective nature of the metal oxide sensor towards alcohol, we have compared with Methanol, Isopropyl alcohol, Acetone and Ammonia along with Ethanol. The proposed sensing device has been found to be highly sensitive towards ethanol with an excellent linearity closing to unity. With a working domain of ~ 230–800 ppm, the probe renders good degree of reproducibility. Through a little up scaling, the proposed device can be used as a transducer to reduce the speed of a running car when the exhale of driver exceeds dangerous concentration of alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binge drinking behavior has been described as the most significant health hazard on college campuses today. Using definitions of ritual behavior drawn from the literature, the authors conducted focus groups, depth interviews, and participant observations to explore the ritualized nature of alcohol beverage consumption among college students at two large universities. The themes that emerged provide an understanding of the rituals associated with college student drinking. With the drinking-as-ritual interpretation as a theoretical framework, the authors discuss how developers of public service announcements (PSAs) could capture and contextualize drinking rituals and thus make PSAs more relevant to the target audience. They provide examples of PSAs that could be tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project examines the relationship between police enforcement of driving under the influence (DUI) and fatal alcohol related crashes. This article merged data from several sources to fit several 3-level growth curve models that assess the relationship between DUI arrests and fatal alcohol related crashes in U.S. counties from 1985 to 2015. The findings indicate that increases in DUI arrests are related to decreased fatal alcohol related crashes during the period. However, the two are not linearly related and the relationship varies across states. The non-linearity indicates there is a point of diminished returns where increased arrests are no longer related to reductions in fatalities. These findings suggest that policy makers should explore alternative methods of reducing crashes to supplement enforcement efforts such as addressing problems of alcoholism and traffic safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study aimed at identifying the factors that influence injury severity in alcohol-related crashes through artificial neural network (ANN) model using Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Introduction: Traffic accidents are a serious public health problem in Brazil, and its main risk factors are: alcohol consumption, driving without National Driver's License (NDL) and use of illicit drugs or drugs. Objective: To evaluate the traffic accidents at the pre-hospital level and factors associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Materials and Methods: Descriptive, analytical study of a quantitative nature, with secondary data, collected from prehospital care records. The records of 1,264 traffic accidents were analyzed. The binary logistic regression was used, with a result expressed by the odds ratio. The study assumed a confidence level of 95% and significance of 5%. The intervals and confidence for proportion assumed the binomial distribution. We used the program Stata 12.0. Results: It was observed that traffic accidents had a higher incidence in males, who had a mean age of 31.2 years, with the majority of drivers being involved, with the highest occurrence in the urban area, at night and in the late week. The chances of involvement in accidents increased when the victim was under the effect of alcohol at the time of the occurrence. Conclusion: The aforementioned results can support new discussions and guide actions and behaviors on prehospital care, in order to implement good practices in traffic, public policy execution and population awareness, aiming to reduce the consequences of accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and a differences-in-differences model to examine the effect of state medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on cannabis-involved driving among U.S. drivers involved in a fatal crash between 1993–2014. Findings indicate that MMLs in general have a null effect on cannabis-positive driving, as do state laws with specific supply provisions including home cultivation and unlicensed or quasi-legal dispensaries. Only in jurisdictions with state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries did the odds of marijuana-involved driving increase significantly by 14 percent, translating into an additional 87 to 113 drivers testing positive for marijuana per year. Sensitivity analyses reveal these findings to be generally robust to alternate specifications, although an observed spillover effect consistent with elevated drugged driving enforcement in bordering states weakens a causal interpretation. Still, reasonable policy implications are drawn regarding drugged driving prevention/enforcement and regulations governing dispensary delivery services and business siting decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclists have a relatively high risk of being injured in traffic accidents. In Germany, statistics have shown that cyclists injured in police-reported traffic accidents are often found to have cycled with high blood alcohol levels. Relevant research has discussed the ability of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991), deterrence factors, and habitual behavior to predict unsafe and rule-violating behavior in traffic. To promote safer cycling, the relative contributions of these predictors must be determined to design efficient countermeasures. In an online survey, N = 353 participants reported cycling and drinking behaviors for 1 week and answered questions on the TPB, deterrence, and additional predictors. Perceived social norms were quite permissive and perceived behavioral control when cycling under the influence (CUI) of alcohol was quite high. Furthermore, a third of the cyclists reported CUI. Participants with experience of CUI reported having consumed large amounts of alcohol before cycling. High levels of cycling, a permissive attitude, and greater alcohol consumption per drinking episode predicted the number of CUI trips. The amount of alcohol consumed before one CUI trip was predicted by high perceived behavioral control when CUI, a high level of need for stimulation, and higher habitual alcohol consumption per drinking episode. Deterrence factors were found to have no influence on reported CUI. Overall, the findings suggested that Germans who habitually drink a large amount of alcohol are not deterred from CUI in the same manner that they would be from driving under the influence (DUI). The generally permissive perceived social norms did not differentiate between CUI and non-CUI cyclists, which indicated that a societal effort is required to balance the mismatch between CUI and DUI. In addition, changing the general drinking behaviors of highly educated Germans who cycle, would be beneficial for their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To estimate the Drink Driving Attributable Fraction (DDAF) of road traffic injury mortality in car occupants in Mexico during 2010–13. Design: A case–control study was conducted to examine the presence of alcohol in analysed body fluids of car occupants killed in fatal crashes (cases) compared with car drivers tested in alcohol‐testing checkpoints who were not involved in a fatal collision (controls). Two data sets were used for the period 2010–13: the forensic module of the Epidemiological Surveillance System on Addictions that included car occupants killed in a collision (cases) and a data set from alcohol‐testing at police checkpoints available for matching municipalities (controls). Setting: Mexico. Participants: The analysed study sample included 1718 car occupants killed in a traffic collision and 80 656 drivers tested at alcohol police checkpoints, all from 10 municipalities. Measurements: Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR) of presence of alcohol in body fluids were obtained stratified by sex and age groups and the interaction with these two variables were assessed. The ORs were used to calculate the DDAF. Findings: It was estimated that 19.5% of car occupants’ deaths due to road traffic injuries were attributable to alcohol consumption [95% confidence interval (CI) = 19.1–19.9]. The adjusted OR of presence of alcohol was 6.84 (95% CI = 6.06–7.71) overall. For males it was 7.21 (95% CI = 6.35–8.18) and for females it was 4.45 (95% CI = 3.01–6.60). The ORs were similar across younger age bands (10–19 years: 9.61, 95% CI = 6.72–13.73; 20–29 years: 7.70, 95% CI = 6.28–9.4; and 30–49 years: 7.21, 95% CI = 5.98–8.70); and lower but still elevated among older people (50+ years: 3.19, 95% CI = 2.19–4.65). Conclusions: An estimated 19.5% of car occupant deaths in Mexico may have been caused by alcohol in 2010–13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested a modified version of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), in driving under the influence of alcohol that incorporated past behavior and perceived invulnerability in a sample of young French adults. Participants ( n  = 368, Mean Age = 23.29, SD  = 3.69, Age Range 18–35) completed self-report measures of sense of invulnerability, subjective norms attitude, perceived control, intention to drive and drink, and past behavior. This extended model was able to explain 52% of the variance of behavioral intention. In accordance with the TPB, the intention to drink and drive was predicted by Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), Subjective Norms, Past behavior and Attitudes. The effect of perceived invulnerability on the three determinants of TPB was significant. Psychological invulnerability had a direct influence on Attitudes, Danger Invulnerability on PBC and Interpersonal Invulnerability on Attitude and PCB. The current study provides support for the importance of the sense of invulnerability to traffic risk-taking in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues: Australian jurisdictions have introduced lockouts to prevent alcohol-related violence. Lockouts prohibit patrons from entering licensed premises after a designated time while allowing sale and consumption of alcohol to continue. Their purposes include managing the movement of intoxicated patrons, and preventing violence and disorder by dispersing times that patrons leave premises. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of lockouts in preventing alcohol-related harm.Approach: We systematically searched electronic databases and reference lists and asked authors to identify relevant studies published to 1 June 2017. We deemed studies eligible if they evaluated lockouts, and if outcome measures included: assault, emergency department attendances, alcohol-related disorders or drink-driving offences. Two reviewers independently extracted data.Key Findings: After screening 244 records, we identified five studies from electronic databases, two from reference lists search and one from a Google search (N = 8). Two studies showed a decline in assaults; a third study showed reductions occurred only inside licensed premises; two studies showed an increase in assaults; and three studies showed no association. The studies had significant design and other limitations.Implications: Lockouts have been implemented across Australian jurisdictions as a strategy to prevent alcohol-related harm, despite limited evidence. In this systematic review, we synthesised findings from studies that evaluated lockouts as stand-alone interventions, to help clarify debate on their utility as a harm prevention strategy.Conclusion: There is not good evidence that lockouts prevent alcohol-related harm, in contrast to what is known about stopping the sale of alcohol earlier, for which there is evidence of effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of distance from alcohol outlets to motor vehicle crashes across the Perth metropolitan area. A retrospective population-based study was undertaken using measures of alcohol- and non-alcohol-related crashes, and their proximity to alcohol outlets, using a geographic information system. Two logistic regression models were developed with the following outcomes: i) crashes including drivers with BAC ≥ 0.05%, and ii) weekend single vehicle night-time crashes, a surrogate measure of alcohol-related crashes. The surrogate measures of non-alcohol-related crashes for these models were all day-time and single vehicle day-time crashes respectively. The major predictors of alcohol-related crashes were number of on-premise outlets and bottleshops in buffer zones up to 2 km, 2 km–5 km, 5 km–10 km and 10 km-20 km from crashes. The distance from the central business district (CBD) and sociodemographic factors were controlled for. The study included 341,467 crashes that occurred between 2005 and 2015. The highest crash incidence rates occurred in the CBD. The statistical models indicated that crashes with a higher number of on-premise outlets in adjacent buffer zones were more likely to be alcohol-related than non-alcohol-related crashes. Crashes with a higher number of on-premise outlets less than 2 km, 2 km–5 km, 5 km–10 km, and 10 km–20 km from the crashes were significantly more likely to be weekend single vehicle night-time crashes than day-time crashes (OR = 1.014; 95% CI:1.002-1.027, OR = 1.022; 95% CI:1.014-1.029, OR = 1.019; 95% CI:1.014-1.024, and OR = 1.017; 95% CI:1.014-1.020 respectively). There was some evidence that crashes with lower number of bottleshops in adjacent buffer zones were more likely to be alcohol-related crashes, although this was not consistent across both models and all buffer zones. When other predictors were controlled for, alcohol-related crashes were more likely to occur further from the CBD, than in the CBD. Recommendations about the timing and location of roadside alcohol testing are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this article was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol impairment in crashes involving farm equipment on public roadways and the effect of alcohol impairment on the odds of crash injury or fatality.Methods: On-road farm equipment crashes were collected from 4 Great Plains state departments of transportation during 2005-2010. Alcohol impairment was defined as an involved driver having blood alcohol content of ≥0.08 g/100 ml or a finding of alcohol impairment as a driver contributing circumstance recorded on the police crash report. Injury or fatality was categorized as (a) no injury (no and possible injury combined), (b) injury (nonincapacitating or incapacitating injury), and (c) fatality. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression modeling, clustered on crash, was used to estimate the odds of an injury/fatality in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver.Results: During the 5 years under study, 3.1% (61 of 1971) of on-road farm equipment crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver. One in 20 (5.6%) injury crashes and 1 in 6 (17.8%) fatality crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver. The non-farm equipment driver was significantly more likely to be alcohol impaired than the farm equipment driver (2.4% versus 1.1% respectively, P = .0012). After controlling for covariates, crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver had 4.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.30-7.28) times the odds of an injury or fatality. In addition, the non-farm vehicle driver was at 2.28 (95% CI, 1.92-2.71) times higher odds of an injury or fatality than the farm vehicle driver. No differences in rurality of the crash site were found in the multivariable model.Conclusion: On-road farm equipment crashes involving alcohol result in greater odds of an injury or fatality. The risk of injury or fatality is higher among the non-farm equipment vehicle drivers who are also more likely to be alcohol impaired. Further studies are needed to measure the impact of alcohol impairment in on-road farm equipment crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately one third of all traffic fatal crashes are alcohol-related in the US according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-related crashes cost more than $37 billion annually. Considerable research efforts are needed to understand better significant causal factors for alcohol-related crash risks and driver's injury severities in order to develop effective countermeasures and proper policies for system-wide traffic safety performance improvements. Furthermore, since two thirds of urban Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is on signalcontrolled roadways, it is of practical importance to investigate injury severities of all drivers who are involved in intersection-related crashes and their corresponding significant causal factors due to control and geometric impacts on flow progression interruptions. This study aims to identify and quantify the impacts of alcohol/non-alcohol-influenced driver's behavior and demographic features as well as geometric and environmental characteristics on driver's injury severities around intersections in New Mexico. The econometric models, multinomial Logit models, were developed to analyze injury severities for regular sober drivers and alcohol-influenced drivers, respectively, using the crash data collected in New Mexico from 2010 to 2011. Elasticity analyzes were conducted in order to understand better the quantitative impacts of these contributing factors on driver's injury outcomes. The research findings provide a better understanding of contributing factors and their impacts on driver injury severities in crashes around intersections. For example, the probability of having severe injuries is higher for non-alcohol-influenced drivers when the drivers are 65 years old or older. Drivers' left-turning action will increase non-alcohol-influenced driver injury severities in crash occurring around intersections. However, different characteristics are captured for alcohol-influenced drivers involved in intersection-related crashes. For example, more severe injuries of alcohol-influenced drivers can be observed around intersections with three or more lanes on each approach. The model specifications and estimation results are also helpful for transportation agencies and decision makers to develop cost-effective solutions to reduce alcohol-involved crash severities and improve traffic system safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Attention to motion stimuli and correct motion perception are vital for road safety. Although cannabis use has been associated with increased road crash risks, there is limited research on attentional processing of moving stimuli in cannabis users. This study investigated the neural correlates of the three‐stimulus oddball task in cannabis users (n = 18) and non‐users (n = 23) in response to moving stimuli. Stimulus contrast was under 16% against a low luminance background (M luminance < 16 cd/m2). The two groups did not differ in accuracy or in N2 peak amplitude; however, N2 latency was longer for target and standard stimuli in the cannabis group than in the control group. The cannabis group also showed a significantly reduced P3b amplitude in response to target stimuli. The AUDIT score was added as a random factor to the anova to rule out the effects of uneven alcohol consumption in the two groups. A significant group effect was found for N2 latency in response to target and standard stimuli and a significant interaction between the group, and the AUDIT score was found for the P3b peak amplitude for the distractor and standard stimuli, but not for the target stimuli. The results of this study suggest that cannabis use relates to reduced neural activity underlying attention to motion stimuli. Implications for regular early‐onset cannabis use road safety are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]