Preparations are underway for the 18th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety. T'2007 will be held in Seattle, Washington, USA, from August 26th - 31st, 2007. It is the first time the conference will be held in the USA since 1989 and will be the first ICADTS joint meeting with the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists, another group with a similar interests in the area of applying technology to study and improve drug and alcohol related traffic safety. The meeting will be held at the Seattle Sheraton Conference Center, and preliminary details of the program, dates and topics are posted on the conference website at www.ICADTS2007.org.
The program committee has been appointed and is beginning work on the scientific program. Questions or suggestions for program content can be sent to program committee chairs: Mike Walsh (jmwalsh@walshgroup.org), Jorg Morland (Jorg.Morland@fhi.no), and Doug Bierness (dougb@trafficinjuryresearch.com) , or to the conference chair Barry Logan (barry.logan@wsp.wa.gov). Planned content includes work sessions on field impairment testing, on-road and simulator driving studies, intervention and relicensing strategies, DUI prosecution and adjudication, drug and alcohol epidemiology, random breath testing and checkpoints, and roadside drug testing.
The organizers are particularly eager to attract international delegates from developing countries or with fledgling alcohol and drug traffic safety programs, to help promote these efforts in their countries, and share effective strategies. Please mark your calendars for August 2007, and check in at the website for updates. See you in Seattle!
The Transportation Research Board Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation has planned a varied program for the 85th TRB Annual meeting in Washington, DC, January 22-26, 2006.
Sessions include: 1) Incapacitation of DWI Offenders: Current methods and their effectiveness, 2) Ask the Experts: A panel of experts addresses key impaired driving themes, 3) Night-time Enforcement: An approach for increasing safety belt use and decreasing alcohol impaired driving, and 4) Drugs in Traffic in the US and the World: Overview of the research presented at the 2005 summer workshop.
All the sessions and meetings will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. The meeting of the committee will be held on Monday, January 23, from 8:00 AM to noon in the Virginia C room. Please check the final program for session times and room assignments. For questions about the program or meeting, contact committee chair, Kathryn Stewart at: stewart@pire.org. Conference registration information is available at: www.TRB.org.
The ICADTS Executive Board will meet Monday at 1:30 PM. All ICADTS members are invited to attend.
A collaborative study was conducted in France in order to determine the prevalence of cannabinoids, opiates, cocaine metabolites and amphetamines in blood samples from drivers killed in road accidents in 2003 and 2004 and to compare these values with those of a previous study performed during the period 2000-2001 involving 900 drivers. Blood samples were provided from 2003 under 30-year-old drivers, killed in a traffic accident. Drugs of abuse were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using the same analytical procedures in all the 12 laboratories. The most frequently observed compounds by far were cannabinoids, testing positive in 39.6% of the total number of samples. Delta(9) tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most active of the principle constituents in marijuana (cannabis sativa), was detected in the blood of 28.9% of drivers and was the single drug of abuse in 80.2% of the positive cases. It was associated with amphetamines in 7.4% and with opiates and cocaine in 1.9 and 4.8%, respectively. Amphetamines were present in 3.1% of the total number of samples, cocaine metabolites in 3.0% and opiates in 3.5%.
When comparing these results with those of a previous study performed 3 years before, a significant increase is observed for THC (28.9% versus 16.9%), cocaine metabolites (3.0% versus 0.2%) and amphetamines (3.1% versus 1.4%). The authors state that this study demonstrates the critical necessity of implementing systematical roadside testing for drugs of abuse in France as soon as possible.
The study is in press for Forensic Science International. The authors are P. Mura, C. Chatelain, V. Dumestre, J.M. Gaulier, M.H. Ghysel, C. Lacroix, M.F. Kergueris, M. Lhermitte, M. Moulsma, G. Pépin, F. Vincent and P. Kintz.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that examines New York's Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated, known as STOP-DWI. The mission of New York's STOP-DWI program is to empower and coordinate local efforts to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes within the context of a comprehensive and financially self-sustaining statewide alcohol and highway safety program. The program's goal is to achieve these reductions through the creation and funding of programs relating to enforcement, prosecution, probation, rehabilitation, public information, education, and administration. The report can be viewed at: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/ny-stopdwiprogram.pdf.
The members of ICADTS will be electing new officers for three year terms that begin in the summer of 2006. Elections will be held for President-Elect, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer. Previously elected officers will take office, including: Ralph Hingson (US) - President, Asbjørg S. Christophersen (Norway) - Secretary, Barry Logan (US) - Treasurer, Han de Gier (Netherlands) - Past president. In addition, two Executive Board Members-at-Large will be elected for six year terms. ICADTS members are invited to suggest nominees.
All proposed nominations for the above positions must be made and seconded by members of ICADTS. All suggested nominations should be forwarded to Nominating Committee Chairman, ICADTS Past President Barry Sweedler (sweedlb@hotmail.com) by January 14, 2006. The Nominating Committee, which includes Hans Laurell (hans.laurell@vv.se) and Allan Williams (awilliams@iihs.org), will develop a slate of candidates for each of the open positions and conduct a postal/email ballot in the spring.
ICADTS President, Han de Gier was invited to present lecture at the 6th Brazilian Congress/4th Latin American Congress on Accidents and Traffic Medicine, in October, in São Paulo. The theme of the congress was Science in favor of the preservation of the life.
National and international specialists participated in ten courses, 14 round tables, 80 conferences and five panels. Among the subjects at the event were: The National Politics of Traffic, the Prevention of Accidents Involving Motorcycle Drivers, the Security of Pedestrians, the Health of Drivers, and issues related to the aged and children.
The congress was hosted by ABRAMET, the Brazilian Association of Traffic Medicine, which is a non-profit organization established 25 years ago by medical doctors. ABRAMET has about four thousand associates and brings together all specialists in traffic medicine. In 2002, the association created the Permanent Movement for the Reduction of the Traffic Accidents and Transport, to alert the country about the risks of traffic accidents.
Although alcohol related fatalities are still the major concern of traffic medicine specialists in Brazil, de Gier was invited to present the state of the art regarding drugs other than alcohol (It is important to point out that in Brazil, 55% of the 37,000 drivers killed in crashes annually are alcohol-related). In his presentation an overview of recent and future European projects, such as ROSITA, IMMORTAL and DRUID was included. It is expected that some Brazilian colleagues will join ICADTS to increase collaboration in sharing knowledge and experiences.
ICADTS is seeking funding support for its proposed project: Exchange Programme for the Development of Human Resources involved in Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety in Developing Countries. The objective of this project is to help workers in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety in developing and low and middle income countries to learn about the newest methodologies and technologies in more developed countries during a visit of six months.
The project will assist the implementation of the recommendations of The World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention issued by the World Health Organization and the World Bank on World Health Day 2004, concerning the management of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. The focus of the project is on capacity building in developing countries, and it aims to strengthen global and participating country capacity to manage the complex issues of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. It will encourage and facilitate participating country "ownership" of alcohol and drug management programs for traffic safety, and engage them as active partners in the ICADTS global community of experts and practitioners.
The collaboration will not be a short-term activity. The exchange programme will seek funding support from the Global Road Safety Facility currently being established by the World Bank and its road safety partners to strengthen road safety management capacity in developing countries.
It is envisaged that the exchange programme will become a regular and ongoing component of knowledge transfer activities supporting the country capacity building process in the area of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. Initially, the exchange program will be launched as a pilot project to help identify the practical dimensions of an effective knowledge transfer process. It is intended that donor funding will meet the expenses of exchange program participants and that host countries will cover expenses associated with office accommodation and related training and mentoring. Current indications are that pilot funding may be available and we are now pleased to invite expressions of interest from ICADTS member countries who would like to host program participants for a six month period (for more information and to show interest please contact Han de Gier, President of ICADTS, at degiercs@wxs.nl.
The Transportation Research Board's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has released a report, Guidance for Implementation of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Alcohol-Related Collisions (Report 500, Vol. 16,). It provides strategies that can be employed to reduce crashes involving alcohol. The guide is one of a series to assist state and local agencies in reducing injuries and fatalities in targeted areas. The guides correspond to the emphasis areas outlined in the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The guide includes a brief introduction, a general description of the problem, the strategies/countermeasures to address the problem, and a model implementation process. It can be viewed at: http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_500v16.pdf.
The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has recently launched a new section of their website containing an international inventory of interlock programs. This new section is available from the homepage (www.trafficinjuryresearch.com) by clicking on the interlock inventory icon. The inventory is designed to provide current information about interlocks to researchers and practitioners working in this field, and to those individuals and agencies considering, developing, or implementing an interlock program. As well, it provides current, easily accessible sources of information, data, and contacts. The site was created as a comprehensive resource on interlocks and is divided into numerous sections including, background information on interlock devices and how they function, leading research references, proceedings from an international symposia series on interlocks, links to research organizations and interlock manufacturers, and current activities in the field of interlocks.
A key feature of this new website is an international inventory of interlock programs that are currently in operation in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. Program information for each jurisdiction identifies key program features, administrative and monitoring data, operational details, legislative highlights, participating agencies, and program contacts. Also included in the inventory is a special legislative section containing statutory references for the relevant legislation in each jurisdiction.
To ensure the website remains current in an era of rapidly evolving interlock programs, users of the site are invited to submit program and legislative updates as they occur and to correct any outdated information. It is hoped this new website will improve the sharing of information among researchers and practitioners and help guide the development and improve the administration of interlock programs in all jurisdictions. It can also be used to gauge successes and demonstrate the benefits of expanding the use of interlocks to reduce impaired driving.
The presentation from the 6th Annual Interlock Symposium in September 2005, in Annecy, France are also available on the TIRF website. The presentations covered new research, updates of programs from around the world, looking to the future, emerging technologies and the EU perspective on interlocks. The 7th Annual International Interlock Symposium will be held in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA, from October 22-25, 2006.
On August 26, 2005 in Oslo Norway, ICADTS and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse conducted a miniseminar on various alcohol, drugs and traffic safety issues. Presentations were made by Norwegian and international experts. Presentations were made by Mary Sheehan (Australia), Susan Ferguson (USA), Ralph Hingson (USA), Kathryn Stewart (USA) and Han de Gier (The Netherlands) representing ICADTS. Norwegian presenters included: Jørgen Bramness, Hassam Khiabani, Liliana Bachs, Per Trygve Normann, Asbjørg S. Christophersen and Jørg Mørland who also was the host of the seminar. The presentations can be viewed on the ICADTS website: www.ICADTS.org.
A new National Statistics publication contains detailed information on the number of people killed and injured on the roads in Great Britain in 2004, based on information about accidents reported to the police. Key points are: 1) 3,221 people were killed on Britain's roads in 2004, 8 percent fewer than in 2003. The number of people seriously injured fell to 31,130, also 8 percent lower than in 2003. Total casualties in 2004 were 280,840, 3 percent fewer than in 2003; 2) Provisional estimates indicate that the number of deaths in accidents involving drink driving was 2 percent higher than in 2003. Total casualties in drink drive accidents fell by an estimated 10 percent.
An article on Drinking and Driving by Richard Campbell, Transport Statistics: Road Safety, Department for Transport, included in the report, noted that estimates for 2003 suggest that 7 per cent of all road casualties and 17 per cent of road deaths occurred when someone was driving whilst over the legal limit for alcohol. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the number of people killed or seriously injured in drink-drive accidents in Great Britain fell from over 9,000 to fewer than 4,000. During the past ten years, however, there has been no over-riding trend in the number killed or seriously injured despite year to year fluctuation.
Provisional estimates for 2004 indicate a fall of 7 per cent from the previous year. The number of people killed in drink-drive accidents fell to a low of 460 deaths in 1998, but has since risen to an estimated 590 deaths in 2004. The numbers of slight injuries in drink drive accidents have been showing a broadly rising trend since 1993 but again provisional figures for 2004 suggest a fall of 11 per cent. It is estimated that there were 580 drink-drive related deaths in 2003 and provisional estimates for 2004 suggest around 590 people were killed. In addition to those fatalities, around 2,600 people were seriously injured in drink-drive accidents in 2003, although provisional estimates for 2004 are of the order of 2,350. It is estimated that there were around 19,000 drink-drive casualties of all severities in 2003, but a provisional estimate of 17,000 in 2004.
The Road Casualties Great Britain: 2004 - Annual Report can be viewed at: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=14438&l=3.
The ICADTS Working Group on Alcohol Ignition Interlocks has published, Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices, 2: Research, Policy, and Program Status 2005. This volume 2 summarizes developments in recent years and captures some of the successes, problems and new directions around the world. The 150 page report contains sections on Research Findings, Policy Issues and Program Status and Development. The report was edited by Paul Marques, who chairs the working group. Experts from around the world contributed to the report.
The full report can be viewed at: www.ICADTS.org. Contact Dr. Marques for information about the future activities of the working group.
A paper by C. Carpenter in the Journal of Health Economics (Vol. 24, No.3, 2005) provides new evidence about drinking and sexual behavior among underage males associated with U.S. state adoption of very strict age-targeted "Zero Tolerance" drunk driving laws. The effects of Zero Tolerance laws on state gonorrhea rates by age group and race over the period 1981-2000, controlling for state and year fixed effects and state-specific time trends were analyzed. It was found that adoption of a Zero Tolerance law was associated with a significant reduction in gonorrhea rates among 15-19-year-old white males, with no effect for slightly older males age 20-24 whose drinking behavior was unaffected by the tougher policies. There were mixed effects for white females and no significant effects for blacks. While not conclusive, these results suggest an important role for alcohol use in risky sexual behavior among young men.
January 22-26, 2006
85th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board-Washington, DC USA
Alcohol and drug impaired driving technical sessions, meetings of the TRB Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation and the ICADTS Executive Board will be featured.
Visit www.trb.org/trb/meeting for meeting information.
April 2-6, 2006
The Borkenstein Course on DUID: The Effects of Drugs on Human Performance and Behavior - Bloomington, Indiana USA
Contact: Center for Studies of Law in Action, Indiana Univ. Tel: 812-855-1783, Fax: 812-855-7542, Email: dlindsay@indiana.edu.
Visit www.indiana.edu/~lawactn for information.
April 9-11, 2006
Lifesavers Conference - Austin, Texas USA
The National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities
Visit www.lifesaversconference.org for information.
October 16-18, 2006
20th World Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association - Melbourne, Australia
Contact www.trafficmed@vifm.org for information.
October 22-25, 2006
7th International Annual Interlock Symposium - Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA
Visit www.ignitioninterlocksymposium.com for information.
August 26-31, 2007
T'2007 - 18th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety - Seattle, Washington, USA
Sponsored by ICADTS and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists.
Visit www.ICADTS2007.org for information.