A call for abstracts for the 14th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety has been issued by the organizers. The major conference of ICADTS will be held in the city of Annecy, France from September 21-26, 1997. The scientiifc program will include such topics as: driving performance, roadside surveys, legislative strategies, epidemiology, measurement and screening, enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation programs. On the shores of the cleanest lake in Europe, surrounded by a scenic range of mountains, Annecy is a charming town in the Nothern French Alps, 40 km from the Geneva International Airport. In addition to the scientific program, an extensive social program is also planned.
Abstract are due by November 15, 1996, and full papers by March 31, 1997. This will allow for publication of the conference proceedings prior to the conference. The registration fee has been set at FF2700 (about $520) for non ICADTS members and FF2200 (about $420) for ICADTS members. The fee will include the proceedings, the full social program, including the special Wednesday excursion, all receptions, dinners, lunches and refreshments.
To obtain the second and final announcement, the registration brochure and the abstract forms, contact the Conference Secretariat, c/o C.E.R.M.T, B.P. 132, 74004 Annecy Cedex, FRANCE, Tel: 33-50-45 61 79 (after October 18, 1996, 33-4-50-45 61 79), Fax: 33-50-45 36 92 (after October 18, 1996, 33-4-5045 36 92) or by contacting the Reporter editors. All those who previously responded to the first announcement and requested additional information about the conference will automatically receive the material.
Multiple city departments and private citizens joining together to implement comprehensive traffic safety strategies can significantly reduce traffic deaths and injuries, reports an article by ICADTS member Ralph Hingson and his colleagues at Boston University. The Saving Lives program reduced traffic deaths in the program communities by 25 percent and alcohol-related traffic deaths by 42 percent, according to a decade-long project assessing the effectiveness of combined community interventions against drinking and driving and associated problems. Vehicles observed speeding and teenagers who drove after drinking declined by a 40-percent greater margin in the program cities than elsewhere in the state.
The program was developed by the local communities, including media campaigns, police training, high school peer-led education, college prevention programs, and increased liquor outlet surveillance. Communities also undertook programs to increase pedestrian safety and seat belt use, including police checkpoints, preschool education programs, and training of clinical personnel.
To measure the effects of the Saving Lives program, the researchers used a quasi-experimental design that involved a combination of public records review, annual roadside surveys of speeding and safety belt use, and telephone surveys to monitor self-reported drinking and driving. (Source: American Journal of Public Health, June 1996, Volume 86, No.6.)
Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety. Current Research Literature (ADTS) is the abstract journal for those who work with any kind of transportation and with substance dependence. It is published in association with ICADTS. It was founded by Sonja and Milan Valverius and is in its 14th year. Each issue, published quarterly, contains approximately 100 abstracts of current quality literature. The references are a survey of the international literature in the biomedical, psychological and social sciences related to the basic sciences about and the incidence and effects of alcohol and drugs on traffic safety.
The references are grouped into one of six subject headings: general and reviews; determination, analytical aspects, diagnosis; epidemiology, statistics; pharmacological, physiological and psychological behavioral aspects; legal aspects, prevention and control, public policy, social aspects; and rehabilitation, treatment programs, information and education. The journal also contains a subject, author and title index.
The Editor-in-chief is Mr. Wolf-Rüdiger Nickel (Braunschweig, Germany); the managing editor is Dr. Peter Valverius (Stockholm, Sweden). The editorial board consists of twelve reputed scientists in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. The Editors of the journal are happy to offer a discount on the subscription of the journal to all members of ICADTS. The discounted price for a one year subscription would be $85(US). A prepaid three year subscription would cost $225 /year. The conditions of subscription for ICADTS members are: The subscriptions are ordered directly from the managing editor Dr. Peter Valverius, Gimlev. 32A, S-182 33 Danderyd, Sweden, or from our printer, BTJ Tryck Inc., Traktorvägen 13, S-222 60 Lund, Sweden (i.e. not through any other bookstore, subscription agency or news agency). The reason for this is that agents usually deduct 5 - 10% from the subscription price for their costs. The subscription will be billed annually (or every three years) and the invoice would be paid within one month after invoice date. If the subscription is canceled no refund will be made.
The editors plan also to publish a special issue each year. The first of these will be published in the beginning of 1997 under the tentative title: Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety: Current Research Literature: Special Issue on Drugs and Traffic Safety. In this issue we will collect all pertinent references on non-alcohol substance abuse and all road, air and sea traffic safety.
Members of ICADTS are welcome to contact Peter Valverius for a inquiry or a free trial issue. He can be reached at the above address or Phone: 46-8-755 5379, Fax: 46-8-753 6516 or E-Mail: Peter.Valverius@mailbox.swipnet.se.
The editorial responsibility for the Journal of Traffic Medicine (JTM) has been transferred from James Dunbar (UK) to David C. Viano (USA). JTM has been the official journal of ICADTS and the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine (IAATM). Dr. Viano plans to increase the scope of JTM into a broad-based and indexed journal covering applied problem-solving research in traffic safety. The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and the International Research Council on the Biokinetics of Impact are also cooperating with IAATM and ICADTS in this venture. For the next 3 issues, JTM will be managed in the usual fashion, but published and distributed from IAATM headquarters in Turkey.
The new emerging format will include full-length papers, short reports, case studies, and commentaries from institutes, governments and key organizations. The new free-standing journal would be connected to affiliated organizations via associate editors who would cover their fields of interest. An ICADTS member will be responsible for managing paper reviews and other input concerning alcohol and drugs.
Potential papers can be sent to: David Viano, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Traffic Medicine, c/o GM R&D Center, Mail Code 480-103-001, Warren, Michigan 48090-9055 USA, Phone: 810-986-1740, Fax: 810-986-0294, Email: DViano@cmsa.gmr.com.
In June, ICADTS President elect Hans Laurell (Sweden), and members Andrew Clayton (UK), the convener of T'97, Charles Mercier-Guyon (France), Kees Heijster (the Netherlands) and the author of the ICADTS regranting of driving licenses report, Wolf Nickel (Germany) met with European Union parliamentarians and high level officers of the Directorate General for Transport of the Commission of the European Communities in Brussels. The intention was to present the guidelines developed by the ICADTS working group on Regranting of Licenses, facilitate discussion on the topic and make a move for the application of uniform European standards in legislation and administration in order to ensure effective countermeasures against drinking and driving. EU representatives were highly interested in the topic and asked for more information in the near future. Discussions are expected to continue on how ICADTS can work more closely with the EU in the future.
In 1995, after 3 consecutive years of increases, the percent of drivers in the Netherlands with a BAC of over the legal limit of 0.05 percent stabilized at 4.4 percent. In 1991, the survey conducted by the Institute for Road Research (SWOV) found that 3.9 percent of drivers stopped randomly between the hours of 10:00 pm and 4:00 am on weekend nights were over the legal limit. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, the percentages were 4.0, 4.2, and 4.9 percent. The 1995 study was based on testing 18,500 car drivers. SWOV estimated that 265 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes out of the total of 1,334 people who died in road crashes. The SWOV report recommends that the Minister of Transport institute a series of countermeasures ranging from further legislation, education, information and publicity and increased police enforcement. In particular, SWOV recommended that the police set up special weekend squads of 10-12 officers all over the country in order to increase the number of drivers checked. For additional information, contact SWOV at Tel: 31-70-3209323, Fax: 31-70-3201261.
The Louisiana Supreme court has reversed its March 1996 decision that struck down the state's minimum drinking age law. In a July 2 ruling the court voted 5-3 to find the law to be constitutional. The court's reversal keeps Louisiana from being the only state in the United States with a drinking age of less than 21. A newly elected judge voted with the majority, as did the Chief Justice, who originally voted to find the law unconstitutional on the basis of age discrimination. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 14,000 lives have been saved in the United States as a result of the higher drinking age laws, and the number of teen drunk driving deaths have been reduced by half.
Research has repeatedly shown that raising the price of alcohol through tax increases is effective in reducing impaired driving crashes, especially among young people. Tax increases also reduce the incidence of other alcohol-related problems as well as generating revenue that can be used for prevention efforts or to help compensate society for the harm caused by alcohol. The U.S. Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a guide for activist organizations, concerned citizens, and others who are interested in reducing alcohol-related problems by increasing taxes on alcohol. The publication, entitled State Alcohol Taxes and Health: A Citizen's Action Guide, includes a discussion of current taxation structures and the research rationale for increasing taxes. It also provides estimates of the effects of higher alcohol taxes on costs related to alcohol problems as well as outlining and evaluating the arguments made by those in opposition to tax increases. Instructions and model documents are provided for mounting a public education campaign about alcohol taxes. The guide is written in an engaging, easy-to-read style that can be useful to people at all levels who are concerned about alcohol-related problems. To obtain a copy, contact the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20009-5728, 202-332-9110, ext. 385.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report on a study of why drinking driving offenders persist in drinking and driving. The study, carried out by Mid-America Research Institute consisted of interviews with offenders in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Some of the findings of the study include:
Copies of the report, "Determine Reasons for Repeat Drinking and Driving," can be obtained from the Office of Program Development and Evaluation, NHTSA, NTS-30, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20590, or Fax 202-366-7096.
A recent pilot study by researchers at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio finds that there is a high incidence of disabilities among persons convicted of impaired driving. Based on years of clinical experience in an intervention program for impaired drivers, the study authors, S.C. Acquilano, L. Li, J.A. Ford, and D. Moore, had speculated that the incidence of disabilities among these drivers would be much higher than in the general population. In order to test this hypothesis, they selected a sample of 346 offenders form the Weekend Intervention Program, a three-day intervention and assessment program for convicted impaired drivers. The offenders filled out a questionnaire and were interviewed. Based on the data collected, 110 subjects (31.8 percent) were found to have evidence of disability. Disabilities included traumatic brain injury (9.3 percent), mental illness (7.6 percent), back or spinal cord injury (6.4 percent), learning disabilities (4.7 percent), and hearing or visual impairment (5 percent). Over 16 percent of the sample were found to have multiple disabilities.
The authors concluded that persons with disabilities disproportionately incur drunk driving arrests. They point out that the etiology of the disability may be important to consider in light of lifestyle, health, and other behavioral characteristics of heavy drinkers which may lead to the acquisition of a disability. They also point out that the findings have implications for impaired driver education and rehabilitation programs. Since so many offenders have cognitive, personality, or other conditions which adversely affect their ability to learn, it is crucial that programs have flexible curricula and learning approaches that match the needs of clients.
For further information about this study, contact Dennis Moore at SARDI, Wright State University, School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio 45435, Telephone: (513)259-1384; Fax (513)259-1395; Email: dcmoore@desire.wright.edu. (This study was originally presented as a poster at the 103rd Annual convention of the American Psychological Association, New York City, August, 1995.)
The ICADTS Executive Board recently elected new members to ICADTS. They include: Dr. Anthony F. Moynham (AUS), Dr. Mary C. Sheehan (AUS) and Dr. John Yu (USA). Each new member was nominated by two active ICADTS members, approved by the Membership Committee and the Executive Board. Colleagues working in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety who are interested in becoming members of ICADTS, contact ICADTS Secretary Barry Sweedler, % NTSB, Washington, D.C. 20594, USA, Tel: 202-382-6810, Fax: 202-382-8006 or Email: Sweedlb@ntsb.gov for an application.
September 9-12, 1996
Road safety in Europe-An International Conference - Birmingham, United Kingdom
Contact David Lynam at TRL in the UK, Tel: 44-1344-773131, Fax: 44-1344-770356, or Dr. Kenneth Asp at VTI in Sweden, Tel: 46-1320-4000, Fax: 46-1312-6162.
October 7-9, 1996
40th Annual Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Contact AAAM at 2340 Des Plaines Avenue, Suite 106, Des Plaines, IL 60018, USA. Tel: 708-390-8927, Fax: 708-390-9962.
October 14-19, 1996
26th Anniversary Meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists - Denver, Colorado, USA
Contact Laurel J. Farrell or Robert Zettl, Colorado Department of Public Heath and Environment, P.O. Box 17123, Denver, CO 80217, USA, Tel: 303-691-4727/4738.
October 16-18, 1996
52nd Annual National Traffic Court Seminar - Washington, D.C., USA
Contact Teddi Fangon at the American Bar Association at 541 North Fairbanks Court, Chicago, IL 60611, USA, Tel: 312-988-5693, Fax: 312-988-5709.
October 27-November 1, 1996
National Safety Council Congress and Exposition - Orlando, Florida, USA
Contact the National Safety Council, 1121 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, IL 60143-3201, USA, Congress Hotline: 800-621-7619, Fax: 708-940-1175.
December 8-13, 1996
Tests for BAC in Highway Safety Programs -- Supervision and Expert Testimony (Including an update on Workplace Testing) - Bloomington, IN, USA
Contact Center for Studies of Law in Action, Indiana University, Sycamore Hall 302, Bloomington, IN 47405, Tel: 812-855-1783, Fax: 812-855-7542.
January 12-16, 1997
76th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Transportation Research Board - Washington, D.C., USA
Contact Dr. Richard Pain, Tel: 202-334-2960, Fax: 202-334-2003.
September 21-25, 1997
T'97 -- The 14th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety - Annecy, France
Contact T'97 Secretariat at CERMT, BP 132, 74004 Annecy Cedex, France, Tel: 33-50-45-61-79, (after October 18, 1996, 33-4-50-45 61 79), Fax: 33-50-45-36-92, (after October 18, 1996, 33-4-5045 36 92). See related article.