The organizers of T 2000 are proud to announce that they just got the word from the Royal Court of Sweden that His Royal Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf is pleased to accept the task of opening our conference. This not only demonstrates the interest that the King takes in road safety but also the official recognition of ICADTS and our conferences and, of course, also signifies the importance of the problem of alcohol and drugs in traffic.
T 2000 promises to be a very interesting conference. The organizers have received 232 abstracts covering every aspect of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. The Scientific Program Committee has a difficult but satisfying task of choosing which of all these should be presented orally and which are most suited for poster presentation and then to fit them into a comprehensive and interesting program. You can rest assured that there will be plenty to learn from this conference for each and everyone in the field. So, meet the King and learn the latest in Stockholm in May.
T 2000 is a Jubilee Conference of ICADTS and therefore we wish to make it special - both in the scientific sessions and with a memorable social program. Everything is already planned but we do not want to give you the particulars about the arrangements now - it is going to be a nice surprise. Incidentally, the cost of the social program is included in the registration fee.
Please visit our website for more information about T 2000. The address is: http://www.ICADTS2000.com. Remember that the registration fee is lower before January 15.
Hans Laurell, ICADTS President
The members of ICADTS will be electing new officers for three year terms that begin at the conclusion of T 2000, in May 2000. Elections will be held for President-Elect, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer. In addition, two Executive Board Members-at-Large will be elected for six year terms. Nominating Committee Chairman, ICADTS Past President Dr. Jack McLean has requested that ICADTS members consider who they might suggest as nominees. All proposed nominations for the above positions must be made and seconded by a member of ICADTS. All suggested nominations should be forwarded to Dr. McLean at Fax: 61-88-232-4995 or Email: jack@raru.adelaide.edu.au by January 15, 2000. The Nominating Committee will develop a slate of candidates for each of the open positions and conduct a postal ballot in the Spring.
Prosecution of Driving While Under the Influence is a comprehensive manual written by prosecutors for prosecutors. The contents include an overview of field sobriety testing, an explanation of the physiology of alcohol (with examples and hypotheticals to understand retrograde extrapolation) and a discussion of common DWI defenses and how to respond to each of them. In addition, the manual contains a special trial advocacy section that covers every part of a trial from jury selection through closing argument, all specifically geared to trying DWI cases. The extensive appendices provide citations and summaries of leading research studies pertaining to the standardized field sobriety tests, a case law chart and summary of HGN court decisions, a state-by-state listing citing the authority for sobriety checkpoints, and much more.
And if all this is too good to be true, so is the price. The development and distribution of the DWI manual is made possible by funding from the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To order your free manual, please fax requests to the National Traffic Law Center at 703-836-3195. (Source: NTLC Between the Lines, Vol. 8, No. 3, Fall 1999)
The Transportation Research Board's Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation is sponsoring six technical sessions at TRB's 79th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in January 2000. All alcohol and drug sessions are scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 11th and 12th. The topics will include: 1) Youth Issues: Graduated Licensing and Zero Tolerance, 2) Old Lessons, New Rules: Drug Testing in the New Millennium, 3) Results of the Workshop on Alcohol and Drug Research Needs and Priorities, 4) Impaired driving Around the World: Lessons Learned, 5) Special Populations and Traffic Safety, and 6) Ask the Experts: Can We Control Repeat-Driving-Under-the-Influence-Offender? Committee Chairman, ICADTS Executive Board member Dr. Allan Williams, also invites interested colleagues to attend the meeting of the TRB committee on Wednesday afternoon. Check out the TRB website at http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/annual.nsf to obtain details on the program and how to register for the meeting.
An international symposium is being held December 1-2, 1999 in Taipei, Taiwan to pay tribute to the life and work of former ICADTS President Professor Robert F. Borkenstein of Indiana University. In addition to celebrating Professor Borkenstein, the lectures given by invited speakers will also raise awareness of issues related to alcohol and drug influence and transportation, a critical social problem in Taiwan. Speakers will include ICADTS members A. Wayne Jones (S) speaking on medicolegal alcohol determination: breath vs. blood alcohol concentration, Jørg Mørland (N) speaking on driving under the influence of other drugs, Patricia Waller (USA) on epidemiology of alcohol-related accidents, and Robert Voas (USA) on countermeasures for reducing alcohol-related accidents.
The symposium is hosted by the Taiwan Central Police University, the Ministry of Justice Institute of Forensic Medicine, National Taiwan University, the University of Alabama Department of Justice Sciences, and numerous other Taiwan ministries, corporations and colleges. Forensic Science Review has played a key role in the planning of the Symposium and plans to publish the written versions of the lectures as a monograph which will be designated as Volume 12 (2000) of the journal. For more information about the symposium, contact Professor Ray H. Liu at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 205-934-2069 or Email: rayliu@uab.edu.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has produced materials to aid in the adjudication of juvenile impaired drivers. A video and discussion guide are available entitled Beyond the Bench: How Judges Can Help Reduce Juvenile DUI and Alcohol and Other Drug Violations. The video features two knowledgeable jurists who stand as strong advocates of judicial involvement in comprehensive community based impaired driving initiatives. For further information, call Jim Wright, NHTSA Program Manager, 202-366-2724 or email jwright@nhtsa.dot.gov.
NHTSA, in partnership with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will soon publish a guide for judges and prosecutors entitled Sentencing and Dispositions of Youth DUI and Other Alcohol Offenses. The guide is intended to help judges and prosecutors to use more effective sanctions for juveniles who have committed alcohol-related offenses. It is also intended to help judges and prosecutors work more cooperatively with administrative agencies and community organizations and define a role for themselves outside the courtroom in preventing underage drinking and other alcohol-related offenses. The guide provides an overview of the prevalence of drinking and impaired driving among youth and of alcohol-related crash risk. It summarizes the relevant laws and discusses the various roles of the justice system.
All fifty states in the United States have incorporated language in impaired drinking statutes to address the growing concern with drugged driving. Although most states require proof that the driver was under the influence of a drug or drugs at the time of driving, seven states have passed per se legislation. Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah have included clauses in statutes that make the mere presence of certain drugs in the subject's system sufficient to prove drugged driving.
The drugs expressly included and excluded in the per se legislation vary significantly by state. For example, Indiana, Utah, and Iowa limit these statutes to a controlled substance. Georgia qualifies controlled substance by including marijuana while Minnesota excludes marijuana. Legally prescribed drugs are excluded in all of the per se legislation except in Minnesota. Utah adds an affirmative defense of an involuntarily ingested drug.
The National Traffic Law Center can provide a chart outlining the language used in drugged driving legislation. To receive a copy, call 703-549-4253 or fax 703-836-3195. (Source: NTLC Between the Lines, Vol. 8, No. 2, Summer 1999)
The Transportation Research Board Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation held a mid-year meeting at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California on August 19-20, 1999. This seminar, co-sponsored, by ICADTS. was on the topic: Impaired Driving Research Needs and Priorities. This seminar revisited a topic discussed in a 1992 summer workshop on the topic, Alcohol and Other Drugs in Transportation: Research Needs for the Next Decade (Transportation Research Circular 408, June 1993). The committee considered it appropriate that the research community once again provide its best advice on what research is needed now and will be needed as we enter the new millennium. Other factors made this an auspicious time for an informed discussion of research needs. Progress in reducing impaired driving has slowed over the past decade, meaning that now, more than ever, good research is needed to point the way to effective methods for continued progress. In addition, impaired driving program funds are increasingly more difficult to find. Without good research, funds will not be allocated in the most effective manner
The workshop was attended by more than 30 invited participants from the US, Canada, France, and Sweden. The workshop discussions were organized around topic areas related to special, defined populations. These included the general population, young drivers, hard core drinking drivers, drivers under the influence of drugs other than alcohol, and special populations, including women and minorities. Two background papers were developed by expert authors for each population to summarize gaps and limitations on knowledge and to suggest areas of exploration that can yield important information and safety improvements. Small group discussions and presentations and discussions with the entire group yielded priority recommendations for further research in each population area. Participants from the various US agencies that fund traffic safety and drug and alcohol abuse research were present to respond to the discussion about research priorities.
The findings of the workshop will be presented at the upcoming TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. (See related article in this issue.) A TRB Circular has also been prepared, edited by ICADTS Executive Board Member Jim Hedlund, to summarize the workshop. The Circular includes the background papers written for the workshop as well as the rankings of the research priorities. The Circular is expected to be available early in 2000.
Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) has been used by law enforcement for decades as a field sobriety test to identify impaired drivers. The majority of states allow the test into evidence as a probable cause for arrest and/or evidence of impairment. Prosecutors in other states continue to struggle with getting this scientifically proven test into evidence. Many in the legal community are unfamiliar with the science supporting HGN and are therefore reluctant to endorse it.
Nystagmus, an involuntary jerking of the eyeball, is caused when alcohol is introduced into the system. Alcohol affects muscle coordination, including the muscles surrounding the eyes. In the field, the enforcement officer can simply hold an object, typically a pen or pencil, slightly above eye level. As the eyes attempt to follow or focus on the object, the muscles affected by alcohol will jerk or bounce.
In 1977, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized three field sobriety tests which, when evaluated, were the most effective and reliable. HGN was one of the three tests and throughout numerous studies, HGN has proven to be the most effective field sobriety test in establishing a correlation between alcohol impairment and test performance.
Twenty-nine states hold that HGN is scientific and must meet the state's scientific standard. Eight states ruled that the test is not scientific and/or not novel and therefore can be admitted into evidence in the same way as any other field sobriety test. Sixteen states have ruled that HGN meets the state's scientific standard. Mississippi ruled that HGN does not meet the standard. Twelve states found that there was not enough evidence to rule if HGN meets the standard.
The National Traffic Law Center continually tracks the status of HGN cases and assists prosecutors around the country with test cases by offering strategic advice, identifying professional witnesses and funding resources, and providing HGN caselaw summaries, transcripts, and research studies. For a free copy of Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus - The Science and the Law: A Resource Guide for Judges, Prosecutors and Law Enforcement, write to Media and Marketing, NHTSA, NTS-1, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or send a fax to 202-493-2062.
A new Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) was launched in February 1999 by the World Bank Group. GRSP is a partnership of private sector, civil society and government organizations collaborating to improve road safety conditions around the world. It is working for the sustainable improvement of road safety and the reduction of deaths, injuries, disabilities and socio-economic costs of road crashes in developing and transition countries.
The World Bank noted that 1 million people are killed and 10-15 million injured or disabled on roads every year. The problem is disproportionately borne by the developing countries. Despite rising vehicle numbers, the situation in developed countries has stabilized and improved over the past 30 years through a combination of approaches. In contrast, road safety in the developing world is rapidly deteriorating. Although developing countries only account for 32 percent of motor vehicles, they are now responsible for 75 percent of fatalities caused by road crashes.
The GRSP aims to take a comprehensive approach to road safety through collaboration and coordination which can help developing countries improve road safety activities. This will be achieved by helping to build the capacities of local institutions and by enhancing the ability of professional and communities to pro-actively tackle safety problems. Private companies are sharing their experience and expertise. A draft Global Road Safety Strategy and a draft Road Safety Action Plan have been developed and can be obtained from the GRSP Secretariat. GRSP will focus on such areas as the road environment, road user behavior, vehicle safety and health education and promotion. A special needs area for developing countries will be driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.
For further information, contact GRSP, c/o International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, P.O. Box 372, 17 Chemin des Crêts, CH-1211Geneve 19, Switzerland, Tel: 41-22-730 42 49, Fax: 41-22-733 03 95, Email: GRSP@ifrc.org. Visit their website at www.worldbank.org/bpd.
December 1-2, 1999
The Robert F. Borkenstein International Symposium on Alcohol and Forensic Science-Alcohol and Drug Influence and Transportation Safety-Taipei, Taiwan
Contact Prof. Ray H. Liu at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA, Tel: 202-934-2069, Fax: 205-934-2067, Email: rayliu@uab.edu or Prof. I Ann Low at the Central Police University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Tel: 886-3-328-1993, Email: lcho@sun4.cpu.edu.tw. (See related article)
January 8-13, 2000
79th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Transportation Research Board-Washington, DC USA
Contact Dr. Richard Pain, Tel: 202-334-2960, Fax: 202-334-2003, Email: rpain@nas.edu. (See related article)
March 12-14, 2000
Lifesavers 2000-National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities-Atlanta, Georgia USA
For information contact Lifesavers, PO Box 30045, Alexandria, VA 22310-0045 USA, Fax: 703-922-7780.
May 21-26, 2000
15th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, ICADTS Jubilee Conference-Stockholm, Sweden
Contact the Conference Secretariat, c/o The Swedish National Road Administration, SE-781 87 Borlänge, Sweden, Tel: 46 243 75000, Fax: 46 243 75825, Email: t2000@vv.se. Also visit the new T'2000 web site: http://www.ICADTS2000.com. (See related article)
May 28-31, 2000
17th World Congress of the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine-Stockholm, Sweden
Contact the Conference Secretariat, Box 23201, SE-104 35 Stockholm, Sweden, Tel/Fax: 46 8 30 25 07, Email: Secretary@iaatm2000.com.
September 4-7, 2000
International Conference on Traffic and Transport Psychology-Berne Switzerland
To submit an abstract or for information, contact ICTTP, c/o Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, Laupenstrasse 11, PO Box 8236, CH-3001 Berne, Switzerland, Tel: 41-31-390-22 22, Fax: 41-31-390-22 30, Email: icttp@bfu.ch.