The Scientific Committee has received almost 200 abstracts for the 16th ICADTS International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety. The conference is scheduled to take place in Montréal, Québec, Canada from August 4-9, 2002. The venue will be the Palais des Congrès, Montréal's convention centre in the heart of the city.
The abstracts for both oral and poster presentations are in the following areas: driver characteristics, pharmacology and toxicology, epidemiology, rehabilitation, prevention, driving performance, and emerging and cross-cutting issues. The Scientific Committee, under Chair Dan Mayhew, is currently evaluating the abstracts. Notices of acceptance will be made by January 15, 2002. Full papers will be due by March 15, 2002. This will allow for distribution of the published proceedings at the conference.
A reduced registration fee of $400 US for ICADTS members and $450 US for non-members is available until May 30th 2002. The registration fee includes the welcoming reception, lunches, the conference dinner and a copy of the conference proceedings.
Additional information concerning the conference can be obtained from the conference web site at: www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/t2002, by tel: 514-395-1808, fax: 514-395-1801, or email: info@opus3.com. A second conference brochure, to be issued soon, and future editions of The Reporter will provide information on the social programs and conference and hotel registration.
ICADTS has begun to post the reports of its working groups on its web site, www.ICADTS.org. Currently, the following reports are available on the web: Illegal Drugs and Driving, Prescribing and Dispensing Guidelines for Medicinal Drugs Affecting Driving Performance and Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices 1: Position Paper. The reports can be read online or downloaded. Hard copies of each of the reports are also be available from ICADTS.
The Transportation Research Board Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation held its mid-year workshop July 23-24 at the National Academy of Sciences Conference Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The topic of the workshop was research and policy related to low BAC levels (generally .05 percent and lower). The workshop included presentations on experimental evidence on the effects of low BACs in laboratory settings, the epidemiology of low BAC levels in traffic, the risk of harm associated with low BACs, and the effects of policies establishing low BAC limits for drivers in different groups. Eight papers were presented, with discussants responding to the papers, and general discussion by the attendees. The proceedings of the workshop, including the full papers, will be available from TRB at a later date.
Some findings of the workshop are summarized below.
Evidence of impairment
Measurable impairment of performance begins at the lowest blood alcohol levels - .02 percent and even .01 percent in some tasks. Epidemiological studies, including case control studies of traffic crashes, are consistent with the experimental evidence on the effects of low levels of alcohol.
Performance versus behavior
While performance on a variety of cognitive and psychomotor tasks is measurably impaired at very low levels of BAC, overt, observable behaviors are not dependably changed by alcohol. Thus, an individual's driving performance may be impaired while behavior is not obviously affected by alcohol. This situation makes individual judgements about fitness to drive unreliable. Similarly, it makes enforcement based on observation of impaired behavior difficult. In the United States, the legal structure entails a behavior-based enforcement system and thus makes enforcement more difficult than in countries that permit chemical testing more broadly.
The effects of lowered legal limits
Research indicates that lowering the legal alcohol limit for drivers has resulted in safety improvements. The types and rigor of methods used to evaluate the effects of changes vary, as does the strength of the results. In most but not all cases, improvements have occurred in countries when the limit has been lowered to .05 and below and in the United States when the limit has been lowered to .08 in some states and to .02 or lower for drivers under 21. The reductions in crashes have occurred for drivers at all blood alcohol levels. Thus, in states that have reduced the limit from .10 to .08, crash rates have been reduced for drivers with high BACs as well as among drivers with BACs between .10 and .08.
Misleading messages concerning legal limits
Current laws concerning blood alcohol limits may convey the message that drivers can operate safely until they reach the legal limit. Safety improvements might result from better public understanding of the nature of impairment, emphasizing that driving impairment is present even when overt behavioral signs of intoxication are absent.
Policy implications
While research indicates the impairing effects and increased crash risks of even low levels of alcohol, it is a social and political question as to what the appropriate balance is between reducing risks and permitting relative freedom of behavior. Other factors also increase driving risks, including fatigue and driver distraction. It is an open question whether the benefits of lowering legal limits outweigh the costs, including increased difficulty of enforcement.
ICADTS cosponsored the workshop along with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Transport Canada. The topic of low BACs will be revisited at a session of the Transportation Research Board Meeting in Washington, D.C. on January 13-17, 2001.
In a publication on a related topic, Prof. Ediriweera Desapriya and Prof. Iwase Nobutada of the Institute of Social Sciences University of Tsukuba in Japan published an analysis of international evidence on lower BACs in the Journal of Traffic Medicine. They point out that extensive research shows that impairment occurs at low BACs. The evidence on the BAC at which a driver should be regarded as committing an offense has been the subject of much debate by scientists and policy-makers. Legal per se levels are likely to represent a compromise between the level at which a driver becomes significantly more likely to be crash-involved and levels that are politically acceptable.
The authors conclude that after reviewing the evidence, and benefits of the lower legal limits, the lowest politically acceptable per se limit should be selected based on close collaboration between medicine and law. Establishing lower legal limits in all countries can be expected to produce further declines in the percentage of drivers killed and injured as a result of alcohol impairment. The full article, "Lower legal BAC limit and traffic safety: Some international evidence," appears in the Journal of Traffic Medicine 28 (1) 7-20.
As of July, 29 U.S. States, and the District of Columbia have adopted a .08% BAC.
With T2002 in Montréal less than a year away, planning is underway for future ICADTS international conferences. The 17th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (T2004) is scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, August 7-13, 2004. The venue will be the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre on the banks of the River Clyde in the heart of Glasgow. The ICADTS Executive Board has met with the organizers and toured the venue. It is a first class facility in a world class city. ICADTS members active in organizing T2004, include: Dr. John S. Oliver, University of Glasgow, Paul M. Williams, Lion Laboratories PLC and Andrew Clayton of RSN Associates. This will be the first ICADTS international conference in the United Kingdom since the 3rd International Conference was held in London in 1962. The conference is scheduled to occur the week before the Edinburgh festival, allowing for an exciting visit to a beautiful part of the world.
The search for a site for T2007 has begun. A search committee, headed by ICADTS President-Elect Dr. Johan de Gier, has a number of sites under consideration, but would welcome expressions of interest, since no decisions have been made. If you have an interest in hosting the 18th International Conference in 2007, email Dr. de Gier at: degiercs@wxs.nl.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a report authored by ICADTS member Kathryn Stewart. The report, Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes: Comparisons among Countries, provides information on fatal crash reporting in 15 countries, including most of western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. This report is a follow-up to a previous project for NHTSA comparing impaired driving laws around the world.
The initial goal of the current project was to compare the rates of fatal crashes involving alcohol from country to country. It was found, however, that the data reporting and collection methodologies, definitions of alcohol involvement, and data reliability and validity were so variable from country to country as to make meaningful comparisons impossible. Several issues were considered in examining reporting systems, including the definition of alcohol involvement (which varied in the BAC level included and how the determination of alcohol involvement was made), the definition of fatality (which varied in the time following a crash during which death occurs), time limits after a crash in which driver testing must occur, percent of drivers tested, and the availability and utilization of autopsy results.
Reported rates of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes varied widely, with five countries reporting alcohol involvement rates of less than 10 percent and five other countries reporting rates between 27 and 41 percent. The variation did not fit any easily discernable pattern. It is notable, however, that some of the lowest alcohol involvement figures were in countries with very low or unknown testing rates, while some of the highest alcohol involvement rates were found in countries with relatively high testing rates. This calls into question the accuracy of the rates reported by some countries. The report makes recommendations for improving the accuracy and comparability of statistics.
To order a copy of the report, write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS-31, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or send a fax to (202) 366-7096.
Enhanced sanctions for drivers convicted a second or third time for driving under the influence (DUI) have been in place for many years. Recently, many states have considered hard core offenders as those drivers who are arrested with high blood alcohol concentration (BACs). Twenty-nine states have a statute, regulation, or rule that provides for differential treatment for DUI offenders with higher BACs (than the state's standard illegal limit) such as .15 or .20 BACs, even for drivers who are first time offenders.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sponsored a study by Preusser Research Group to examine whether these higher sanctions for higher BACs are effective in reducing DUI recidivism and alcohol-related crashes in selected states. The study will document how the law is being enforced and any problems the states are having in implementing or enforcing the law. The current report on this project summarizes the characteristics of the high BAC systems in the 29 states.
The types of sanctions for high BAC first offenders include: longer or more intensive education or treatment, additional or enhanced driver sanctions such as jail, license sanctions, or fines, and use of vehicle sanctions such as ignition interlocks and vehicle plate impoundment.
For a copy of Evaluation of Enhanced Sanctions for Higher BACs: Summary of States' Laws, write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS-31, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, fax (202) 366-7096, or download from: www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
The Addiction Research Institute (ARI) of Colchester, Vermont, has just begun the 4-year first phase of a long-term research project on the prevalence and crash risk of prescription and illicit drug use, alone or in combination with alcohol, in the general driving population. The $4 million project is being funded primarily by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, of the National Institutes of Health), with an additional contribution from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Principal investigator for the project is M. W. Bud Perrine, Ph.D.
ARI will cooperate with hospitals in San Diego County, California, to sample crash-injured drivers for presence and quantity of alcohol, illicit drugs, and prescription drugs. Vehicle damage severity and patient injury severity will also be determined, along with brief information about the driver and the crash itself. Participation in the study will be voluntary and anonymous. The project comprises the first phase of a three-phase research concept designed to: (1) determine the prevalence of selected psychoactive drugs among both crash-involved and noncrash-involved drivers, (2) assess the crash risk of drivers under the influence of drugs and/or drugs and alcohol, and (3) inform and develop prevention and intervention law enforcement efforts. The second and third phases will be proposed as projects for future funding, with a target completion date of approximately 2011 for all three phases of the research.
As Principal Investigator and Project Director, Dr. Perrine will head the research team, including consultants and advisors, among whom are the following ICADTS members: Dr. Hans-Peter Krüger, Dr. James F. O'Hanlon, Dr. Carl A. Soderstrom, and Dr. Graham A. Starmer. In addition, Dr. Jan G. Ramaekers will provide scientific and statistical oversight for certain portions of the project.
The role of alcohol in automobile crashes is already well known. However, the role of illicit and prescription drugs, alone or in combination with alcohol, is not yet known. The current project will obtain information that will fill this critical gap, and thus be able to provide more accurate information for effective prevention and intervention efforts. The project is sited in San Diego County because of its unique geographical position near the U.S.-Mexico border, its broad mix of ethnic populations, and the high caliber and enthusiastic collaboration of the region's medical and community support professionals. Blood samples, saliva samples, and other data will be obtained from crash-injured drivers admitted as patients in San Diego trauma centers and emergency rooms. In addition, blood samples and other data will be obtained from fatally injured drivers taken to the medical examiner's office.
The Addiction Research Institute is a private not-for-profit organization operating in Vermont since 1988. It investigates the effect of alcohol and drugs on human performance and injury risk. ARI, through its affiliate, the Vermont Alcohol Research Center, has been the recipient of many grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and was the recipient in 1992 of the Widmark Award of Merit from ICADTS. For further information about the project and/or the organization, please contact Dr. Perrine at: Bperrine@varc.edu, Tel: 802 654 4454 or Fax: 802 654 4456.
Entries for the annual College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention award program are now being accepted. The competition is sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. The goal of the annual competition is to recognize programs and activities in higher education that prevent or reduce campus drinking and driving problems. The competition is open to post-secondary institutions in six Western U.S. states (CA, NM, TX, HI, UT, NV). There is a grand prize of $5000, plus a $1000 award for each state. Entries are due by January 22, 2002. They should be submitted to Dr. Steven A. Bloch, Public Affairs A131, Auto Club of Southern California, 3333 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1698.
This year's grand prize winner, University of California Santa Barbara, received its award for its comprehensive "Students Teaching Alcohol and other drug Responsibility (STAR) program, as well as a number of community based programs. State prizes of $1000, were won by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Texas A&M University, Southwest Texas State University, University of New Mexico and San Jose State University.
More information about the award program can be obtained from the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com, the Higher Education Center's site at www.edc.org/hec, or by contacting Dr. Bloch at Tel: 714-885-2313, Fax: 714-885-2331 or Email: bloch.steven@aaa-calif.com.
The American Bar Association is making available its newsletter, Recent Developments in Traffic Court Law. The newsletter includes updates on relevant legislation across the country as well as information on individual traffic cases with broad implications. To obtain the newsletter, write to the American Bar Association at 541 N., Fairbanks Court, Chicago, IL 60611-3314 or call or email Rebecca King at 800-238-2667 ext. 5742 or kingre@staff.abanet.org.
January 13-17, 2002
80th Annual Meeting of the U. S. Transportation Research Board. Washington, DC USA
Special alcohol and drug sessions will be featured. Meetings of the TRB Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation and the ICADTS Executive Board will also be scheduled.
Contact Dr. Richard Pain, Tel: 202-334-2960, Fax: 202-334-2003, Email: rpain@nas.edu.
March 24-27, 2002
The Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Drugs: The Effects of Drugs on Human Performance and Behavior. Bloomington, IN USA
Contact Darlena Lindsay of the Indiana University Center for Studies of Law in Action, Email: dlindsay@indiana.edu, Tel: 812-855-1783, Fax: 812-855-7542.
August 3, 2002
Effective Change Through Grassroots Mobilization. Montréal, Québec, Canada
For information about the workshop or to register, call MADD at 1-800-665-6233 within Canada or 1-905-6233 outside of Canada.
August 4-9, 2002
16th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, T'02. Montréal, Québec, Canada
For information visit the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec Web site: www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/t2002.
September 22-25, 2002
18th World Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association. Cairo, Egypt
Information available from Congress Secretariat, Misr Travel, 1, Talaat Harb Street, PO Box 1000, Cairo, Egypt, Email: itma2002@ie-eg.com, Fax: 202-392-4440.