The Scientific Committee for T2004, chaired by Dr. John Oliver, invites abstracts of papers and other relevant contributions, for presentation at scientific sessions, workshops and poster display sessions. The firm deadline for receipt of abstracts is October 13, 2003. The committee will accept papers based on scientific merit, interest, novelty and importance. The receipt of abstracts will be acknowledged and all authors of abstracts will be notified by the middle of February 2004 if their paper has been accepted. T2004, the 17th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, UK from August 8-13, 2004.
The ICADTS Foundation will again award a $500 prize for the best poster. The prize program was very successful in Montreal and we look forward to interesting posters and stimulating discussion in Glasgow. The Foundation is also offering financial assistance for young scientists and for colleagues working in developing and transitional countries to participate in the conference. (See related story below.)
On August 5, the ICADTS Executive Board met with the Organising Committee for T2004 to review the planning for the conference. The Board was impressed with the planning process and the outstanding venue, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. Much hard work is going into making T2004 a useful, enjoyable and informative Conference. The whole Organising Team is dedicated to making the meeting a success, and we are all look forward to welcoming you to Scotland in August 2004. Conference delegates will be experiencing what National Geographic's Traveler magazine calls, "the coolest city in the UK". Traveler says that Glasgow, "dazzles as a hotbed of flair and friendliness." Glasgow was also designated the European City of Culture.
An important innovation at T2004 will be a series of four one-day workshops - each focusing on the practical issues of Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety from the aspects of Police Enforcement, Legal Issues, Work Related Transport Issues [road, rail, sea and air] and Drugs and Driving [licit and illicit].
The details of the call for scientific papers, workshop participation and poster contributions are available on the T2004 website (www.ICADTS2004.com). All subsequent submissions, review and notification procedures will be carried out electronically. However, for those who do not have web access, hard copy procedures will also be available. A hard copy book of abstracts and a CD copy of the proceedings will be issued to all delegates as they register. If you wish to use the hard copy method of abstract submission, or for any other reason, please contact: Claire Cresswell, T2004 Conference Secretariat, Meeting Makers Ltd, Jordanhill Campus, 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow G13 1PP, Scotland, UK. Phone +44 [0] 141 434 1500, Fax : +44 [0] 141 434 1519, Email: claire@meetingmakers.co.uk
ICADTS recognizes long-term, outstanding contributions to the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety through its Widmark and Haddon Awards. Individual Widmark Awards honor those who have made an outstanding, sustained and meritorious contribution to the field that have led to international standing and respect. Candidates must have an impressive record of accomplishments that signify preeminence in the field. Institutional Widmark Awards are conferred on outstanding non-governmental research organizations that have contributed to the advancement of science in areas related to alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. The awards are named in honor of Professor Erik M. P. Widmark of the University of Lund in western Sweden, whose comprehensive research work during the first half of the 20th century touched on all the aspects of the pharmacology of alcohol. The Widmark Award is the highest honor that ICADTS can confer on individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to our basic knowledge.
The Haddon Award recognizes those who have advocated scientifically based changes to public policy that have reduced the adverse effects of alcohol or other drugs on traffic safety. The award is named in honor of Dr. William Haddon, Jr., a physician and epidemiologist, who was a pioneer in the highway safety field. As a researcher and administrator, he contributed substantially to the development and application of effective methods to reduce motor vehicle injuries by insisting that the field be based on science.
The ICADTS Awards Committee is pleased to invite nominations for individual and institutional Widmark awards, and individual Haddon awards. Recipients will receive their awards at T2004, the 17th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety in Glasgow, Scotland in August 2004. Nominations for either award are to be submitted to: Barry Sweedler, Chair, ICADTS Awards Committee, Safety and Policy Analysis International, 3798 Mosswood Drive, Lafayette, CA 94549, USA. Fax: +1-925-962-1810, Email: sweedlb@hotmail.com. Nominations must be made by a full member of ICADTS and seconded by a full member. Candidates for the Widmark awards can be nominated for their accomplishments in any of the following areas: behavioral toxicology, human psychopharmacology, forensic toxicology, epidemiology, law and law enforcement, technology, public information and education, public policy, legal medicine and social or behavioral sciences.
The letter of nomination must provide a summary of the credentials and achievements that make the candidate a suitable recipient of the Award. The letter must be signed by those making the nomination and must be accompanied by (1) a letter from the candidate -- or the duly authorized representative of the agency in the case of an institutional award -- certifying their acceptance of the nomination and (2) a complete, detailed curriculum vitae in the case of nominees for an individual award and relevant supporting documentation in the case of an institutional award. It should be made clear to all potential nominees that, while nomination is itself an indication of high standing in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety, it does not necessarily imply that an award will be made. All documentation for a nomination must be received by the Chair of the Awards Committee on or before November 30, 2003.
The European Commission announced an ambitious objective of halving the number of people killed on roads by 2010. The Commission is seeking to guide action by the European Union in the field of road safety, complement the Member States' efforts, and define a clear framework for the sharing of responsibilities between the parties concerned through its European Road Safety Action Program. The plan addresses driver behavior, including recommendations regarding blood alcohol levels and appropriate classification and labeling for medicines that have an effect on driving. The plan also encompasses vehicle safety and infrastructure improvement. It continues efforts to enforce and promote new measures aimed at commercial road transport while promoting the harmonization of penalties across Europe.
The Commission acknowledges that, while progress has been made, there are still more than 40,000 fatalities each year and 1,700,000 people are injured, entailing a total cost of 160 billion Euros annually. Irresponsible driver behavior, including excessive speed and fatigue as well as drinking and drug use, is the main cause of fatalities. All the EU Member States have the same problems with varying levels of intensity. The forthcoming enlargement of membership to include countries with low levels of road safety poses additional challenges. For more information: http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/road/roadsafety/rsap/index_en.htm.
The ICADTS Foundation has announced the establishment of two stipend programs to support young scientists and colleagues working in developing and transitional countries in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. These stipends are available to help colleagues attend ICADTS conferences.
The goal of the first stipend program is to encourage young scientists to develop their knowledge base and experience in different areas of alcohol, drugs and driving through participating in conferences. The second stipend program is intended to support researchers, students and other workers in the field from developing and transitional countries to attend an ICADTS conference. Preference will be given to first-time attendees. The maximum level of support for each stipend will be $1,000.
Information about the stipend program and instructions for applying for one can be found on the ICADTS website: www.ICADTS.org. We encourage you to apply or to pass this information on to colleagues who may qualify for one of the stipends. We hope to see some new faces in Glasgow.
The upcoming edition (Vol. 4, No. 3) of the official ICADTS journal, Traffic Injury Prevention, will include a number of papers and commentary on alcohol ignition interlocks. The papers are based primarily on the presentations made at the 3rd Annual Ignition Interlock Symposium, held at Vero Beach, Florida, USA, in October, 2002. ICADTS was a cosponsor of the symposium.
Topics covered include: An Underutilized resource for Predicting and Controlling Drunk Drivers (by Paul Marques, Chair of the ICADTS Alcohol Interlocks Working Group, Scott Tippetts and Bob Voas), Impact of Mandatory versus Voluntary Participation in Alberta (by Doug Bierness, Marques, Voas and Tippetts), and Controlling the Recidivist (by Richard Raub, Roy Lucke and Richard Wark). Also included are special commentary on the Role of Interlocks in Preventing Alcohol Crashes (by Barry Sweedler), The International Symposium on Enhancing the Effectiveness of Interlock Programs (by Bierness, Herb Simpson and Robin Robertson) and Barriers to Interlock Implementation (by Voas and Marques). The previous edition of TIP, (Vol. 4, No. 2) includes a paper by Bo Bjerre on An Evaluation of the Swedish Ignition Interlock Program.
All of these papers and commentary will be reprinted in a special TIP edition for distribution at the 4th Annual Ignition Interlock Symposium, scheduled for The Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA on October 27-28, 2003. The symposium has been expanded to two days to include a broader range of presentations and discussion. For further information about the symposium and to register, visit: www.ignitioninterlocksymposium.com.
As previously mentioned, TIP is the official journal of ICADTS. A subscription to the journal and online access to current and past editions is available to all ICADTS members as part of dues. All ICADTS members and others working in the field are encouraged to submit material for consideration to the TIP editors. Complete instructions for submitting papers can be found on the journal's website: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/15389588.html, or by contacting Editors-in-Chief David C. Viano (dviano@comcast.net) or Jeff. R. Crandall (jrc2hvirginia.edu). In addition, a special TIP edition on alcohol and drugs is being developed, with Kathy Stewart as guest editor, for publication in 2004.
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has won the $5,000 grand prize in a competition with other universities in western states to develop and implement programs to prevent student drinking and driving. The UCSB program helped reduce incidents of driving and biking under the influence. The program required parental notification in the event of an arrest or citation for alcohol or other drug violations and also coordinated with local landlords to help prevent substance abuse by setting consistent standards and strengthening tenant contracts. State prizes of $1,000 each were also awarded to Texas A&M University, the University of Nevada, Reno, and Southwest Texas State University for their drinking and driving programs. The competition is jointly sponsored by Automobile Club of Southern California and the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, as well as Auto Clubs of other western states.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Harvard University Center for Population and Development Studies have produced a special issue of the journal Injury Control and Safety Promotion (Vol 10, No 1-2), edited by Vinand M. Nantulya of Harvard (now at WHO) and David Sleet of the CDC.
The papers emanate from an international conference held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in April 2002 on the impact of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries. The authors of the articles include experts from around the world in transportation and injury epidemiology, public health, medicine, law enforcement and government. Many of the papers discuss the problem of alcohol and driving and the recommendations and call to action identify alcohol-impaired driving prevention as a critical crosscutting countermeasure worldwide.
For copies of the journal, contact David Sleet (dds6@cdc.gov). The papers can also be found on the Road Traffic Injuries and Health Equity website: www.hsph.harvard.edu/traffic/papers.html.
SWOV, the road safety agency of the Netherlands, recently released a report on developments in the number of road deaths and crashes. Traffic fatalities since 1950 can be divided into two general stages: From 1950 to 1972 there was a sharp increase from around 1000 deaths annually to more than 3,250. This period of increase was followed by a decrease of almost the same magnitude from 1973 to 2002. A significant fluctuation in this more-or-less steady decrease was in 1973 to 1977 when a sharp drop in deaths coincided with the oil crisis of that period. Since 1995 there has once again been a rapid rate of decrease of about 2.7% per year. The type of fatality has also evolved over time. In the 1950s, cyclists and pedestrians accounted for the majority of deaths at more than 30% each. Car occupants now account for most deaths with cyclists second (approximately 20%) and pedestrians third (10%). Since 1950, the number of motor vehicles in the Netherlands has grown by a factor of 20. The death rate, by contrast, has decreased by a factor of 19. The Netherlands is now one of the three safest countries in the European Union, along with Sweden and the United Kingdom. For more information, go to: www.swov.nl.
The Department for Transport in Great Britain reports recent trends in traffic safety. They report that road accidents and casualties were down by 3 percent compared to the 12-month period ending March 2002. At the same time, road traffic was estimated to be 2 percent higher. In 2000, the government published a safety strategy in Tomorrow's Roads Safer for Everyone. By 2010, the aim is to achieve major reductions compared with the average for 1994 to 1998, including a 40 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents. The current figures show that the number of people killed or seriously injured was 17 per cent below the baseline. For additional information, visit: www.dft.gov.uk and click on What's New.
A recent report by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) showed that nearly half of US repeat drunk drivers are returned to court for failing to comply with the terms of their sentence. This is a key finding from a study that examines problems and proposes solutions directly from probation and parole officers who face special challenges in dealing with hard-core drunk-driving offenders. Authors of the report are Robyn D. Robertson and Herb M. Simpson.
As part of the study, researchers surveyed 890 probation and parole officers from 41 US states, identifying the top problems that impede the effective monitoring of hard core drunk drivers. In order of priority these problems include - non-compliance with court orders, overwhelming caseloads and conflict between the two goals of enforcement and rehabilitation. In terms of caseload, for example, officers on average are responsible for more than 100 offenders, and in a few cases the number is significantly higher - in the thousands.
TIRF conducted the survey, funded by the beer company Anheuser-Busch, as the last phase of a comprehensive three-year study, Stopping The Revolving Door: DWI System Improvements For Dealing With Hard Core Drinking Drivers.
The top three problems uncovered in the survey include: * Non-compliance: Probation officers estimate that almost half (44%) of offenders fail to comply, to some extent, with the terms and conditions of their sentence. A majority of officers agree that more frequent contact with offenders, and more efficient communication with both treatment and service providers would facilitate the exchange of information and improve their ability to monitor offenders. * Caseload: Probation populations generally have been increasing steadily for the past several years; the DWI population monitored by probation officers has risen even more sharply. * Conflicting goals: Probation officers often experience the conflict posed, on the one hand, by the need to monitor behavior and enforce compliance with the terms of probationary sentences, and on the other hand, by the need to assist in rehabilitative efforts and serve as a resource for offenders being integrated into the community.
For a copy of the report, contact TIRF at tirf@trafficinjuryresearch.com or see the TIRF website: www.trafficinjuryresearch.com.
September 14-17, 2003
Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association - Budapest, Hungary
For information, contact the ITMA 2003 Congress, at the websites: www.itma2003.hu, or www.trafficmedicine.org.
September 22-27, 2003
3rd European Academy of Forensic Science Meeting - Istanbul, Turkey
Contact the EAFS 2003 Secretariat at, Tel: +90 212 287 58 00, Email: eafs2003@enfsi.org
October 2-3, 2003
3rd Symposium on Workplace Drug Testing - Barcelona, Spain
For information, contact Cesar Frenandez at email: contact@toxscreen.com, website: www.ewdts.org.
October 19-24, 2003
46th International Conference of the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions - Toronto, Canada
For information and to register, visit the ICAA website: www.icaa.ch
October 27-28, 2003
4th Annual Ignition Interlock Symposium - Hilton Head, South Carolina USA
For information and to register, visit the Traffic Injury Research Foundation website: www.ignitioninterlocksymposium.com
December 7-12, 2003
The Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol, Drugs and Highway Safety: Testing, Research and Litigation - Bloomington, Indiana USA
Contact the Center for Studies of Law in Action, Indiana University, Sycamore Hall 302, Bloomington, IN 47404, Tel: 812-855-1783, Fax: 812-855-7542, Email: dlindsay@indiana.edu.
August 8-13, 2004
17th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, T2004 - Glasgow, United Kingdom
For information contact Meeting Makers, 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow G13 1PP, Scotland, U.K., Tel: 44-141-434-1500, Fax: 44-141-434-1519,Email: icadts2004@meetingmakers.co.uk, or visit the conference website: www.ICADTS2004.com.