More than 200 papers from 20 different countries have been accepted for presentation at T'97, the 14th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety. The major conference of ICADTS will be held in the city of Annecy, France from September 21-26, 1997. The papers cover 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 Northern French Alps, 40 km from the Geneva International Airport. In addition to the scientific program, an extensive social program is also planned. The quality of the technical program along with the lovely setting and attractive social program should add up to an interesting and memorable conference.
Authors have submitted their papers and work is underway to publish the conference proceedings. The proceedings will be provided to all those who register for conference as part of their registration package.
To obtain the second and final announcement, including the registration brochure, contact the Conference Secretariat, c/o C.E.R.M.T, B.P. 132, 74004 Annecy Cedex, FRANCE, Tel: 33-4-50-45 61 79, Fax: 33-4-50-45 36 92 or by contacting the Reporter editors.
A study recently completed by Mid-America Research Institute for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examined the effectiveness of two programs that serve as alternatives to jail for repeat offenders. One was an intensive supervision probation program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and one was an electronic monitoring program in Los Angeles County, California.
The intensive supervision probation program attempts to address the drinking habits and drinking problems of its clients by providing frequent, regular monitoring in combination with individual assessments and referral to appropriate treatment providers. Most offenders contact their monitor twice per week. The average stay in the program is four to five months. One year after entering the program, the rearrest recidivism of the treatment group was only about half that of a comparison group (six percent as compared to 11 percent).
In the electronic monitoring program, eligible offenders are sentenced to home confinement enforced by electronic monitoring devices in lieu of jail sentences. The average time in the program was 83 days. Recidivism of the program participants was about 33 percent less than that of the comparison group (four percent as compared to six percent). In addition to reducing recidivism, the electronic monitoring program provided a less expensive alternative to jail sentences (about $2.7 million in savings for the 639 clients included in the study).
For a full copy of the report, Alternative Programs for Repeat DWI Offenders, write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS 31, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington DC 20590, or Fax 202-366-7096.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in cooperation with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently published the results of a national roadside breath test survey. Previous surveys were carried out in 1973 and 1986. All three surveys were of drivers who agreed to be interviewed and breath tested between 10 pm and midnight and between 1 am and 3 am on Friday and Saturday nights, when heavy drinking is most likely to occur. These time periods also correspond to the time of day when alcohol-related crashes are most frequent. More than 6,000 interviews and breath tests were carried out for the 1996 survey, with 95 percent or more of the drivers stopped agreeing to be surveyed.
The results show fewer drivers at all BACs in 1996 and 1986 as compared to 1973. The largest decline among drinking drivers was found at the lowest BACs (.01 to .049). There were more non-drinking drivers in 1996 compared to the earlier years. There was no significant change, however in the percentage of drivers in the .05 to .099 BAC and the .10 or above ranges in 1996 as compared to 1986.
The survey found more female drivers on the roads on weekend nights (18 percent in 1973, 26 percent in 1986 and 31 percent in 1996) and the proportion of women with high BACs had also increased. In addition, there were more Hispanic drivers in the surveys (1.4 percent in 1973, 4.4 percent in 1986, and 10.3 percent in 1996) and the percentage of Hispanic drivers with BACs above .10 has increased in each survey and is twice as high in 1996 as in 1973.
There has been a steady decline in the percentage of young drivers under age 21 who had a BAC of .05 and above (10.9 percent in 1973, 4.6 percent in 1986, and 2.8 percent in 1996). The reduction corresponds to the steady drop in alcohol-related traffic fatality rate for this age group. By contrast, there has been no reduction in the last decade in the percentage of drivers above .05 among 21- to 34-year-olds. The full report of the survey results will be available through the IIHS or NHTSA by early fall of 1997. Contact the IIHS, 1005 N. Glebe road, Arlington, Virginia 22201.
ICADTS recognizes long-term, outstanding contributions to the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety through its Widmark Awards. Individual Widmark Awards honor those who have made an outstanding, sustained and meritorious contribution to the field that has led to international standing and respect. The Widmark Awards Committee, under the Chairmanship of ICADTS Past President Dr. Herb Simpson (CAN), has recommended the conferring of both individual and institutional awards in 1997. The ICADTS Executive Board has approved the Committees recommendations. The awards will be conferred at the 14th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety in Annecy, France in September.
The awards are named for Dr. Erik M. P. Widmark of Sweden. He was among the first researchers to study, in a systematic way, the absorption, distribution and elimination of ethanol in the body. Widmark's research, during the first decades of this century, paved the way for innovative traffic safety legislation that stipulated punishable limits of alcohol in blood of a person driving a car. His contributions are still widely cited in forensic science, especially for the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol. Widmark died in 1945 at the age of 55.
The award was created in 1965 by Professor Robert F. Borkenstein (USA). Since then, ICADTS has conferred 19 individual, one special and 13 institutional awards. The 1995 individual awards were conferred on ICADTS President-Elect, Hans Laurell (S) and Dr. Patricia Waller (USA). Special Presidential Awards were also presented to former ICADTS Presidents Dr. Borkenstein and the late Dr. Milan R. Valverius (S).
For additional information on the life and work of Widmark, see the paper by Rune Andréasson and A. Wayne Jones, that was published last year in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology (17 (3): 177-190, 1996).
A recent study carried out for the California Department of Motor Vehicles examined the relationship between the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at arrest and recidivism within the next year. Various models were tested, including a variety of factors, such as driving history and demographic characteristics. All models found a relationship between BAC and recidivism. BACs of .00 were associated with increased risk of recidivism, probably indicating involvement with drugs other than alcohol. Probability of rearrest decreased among arrestees with BACs over .00 and under .09. Between .09 and .29, risk of rearrest increased, decreasing again between .29 and .35. The mean rate of recidivism for offenders who refused to be tested for alcohol was the same as the mean rate for BAC-tested offenders who had prior convictions at the time of arrest.
The report authors suggest that recidivism predictions based on BAC, prior 2-year total convictions, and offender level could be used by presentence investigators, judges, or in administrative settings to determine appropriate sanctions, treatment, program assignment, or other remedial measures.
To receive a copy of the full report, Prediction DUI Recidivism Volume 1: Blood Alcohol Concentration and Driver Record Factors, contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Research and Development Branch, F-126, P.O. Box 932382, Sacramento, California 94232-3820.
The number of fatal road crashes caused by drivers younger than 26 rose by almost 25 percent in Finland in 1996. The major reason for the increase was the 40 percent increase in drink driving by the young drivers. This information was included in a summary of the preliminary figures recorded by the Road Accident Investigation Teams for the year 1996.
The total number of occupant-fatal crashes caused by young drivers was 86 last year. Alcohol was involved in 31, or 36 percent of the cases. Alcohol was involved in 31 percent of the crashes in 1995. In the early 1990s, the proportion of fatalities caused by young drivers fell distinctly, and the trend was the same in drink driving and speeding related crashes. Last year also witnessed an increase in the number of fatalities involving young drivers caused by speeding.
According to a preliminary review compiled by the Traffic Safety Committee of Insurance Companies (VALT), the Finnish Road Accident Investigation Teams surveyed 241 occupant-fatal crashes in 1996 (247 accidents in 1995). Of the total number, 143 were collisions (156 in 1995) and 98 were single-vehicle accidents (91 in 1995). A total of 286 persons were killed in the crashes (279 in 1995), 197 were injured (224 in 1995) and 145 survived the crash unhurt (190 in 1995). For further information, contact VALT at Fax: 358-9-6804-0391. (Source: VALT March 26, 1997 Press Release)
A new book, entitled Alcohol: Minimising the Harm, edited by Martin Plant (UK), Eric Single (CAN) and Tim Stockwell (AUS) covers a variety of topics relevant to alcohol and traffic safety. The book includes chapters by 20 contributors reviewing evidence of the effectiveness of alternative strategies for minimising the harm associated with the consumption of alcohol. Topics include the history of alcohol control, the use of alcohol taxes to reduce harm, local control of alcohol sales, server intervention and responsible beverage service, standard unit labeling and alcohol containers, warning labels, interventions to reduce college student drinking, alcohol education, and local regulation and enforcement strategies for alcohol sales premises.
The book includes a chapter written by Kathryn Stewart and Barry Sweedler (the ICADTS Reporter Editors) on strategies for minimising harm in impaired driving. The chapter reviews the effectiveness of establishing various forms of legal limits on alcohol, enforcement strategies, penalties for impaired driving, and changes in the transportation environment. Other ICADTS contributors to the book are Ralph Hingson (US) and Ross Homel (AUS).
The book is published by Free Association Press, 57 Warren Street, London, W1P 5PA, UK; Tel: 44 (0) 171 388 3182; Fax: 44 (0) 171 388 3187; Email: fab@melmoth.demon.co.uk.
Ignition interlock devices, which prevent vehicles from starting if the driver has been drinking, are effective with repeat violators of drinking and driving laws. This was the finding of a new study by the University of Maryland with ICADTS member Kenneth Beck as the principal investigator. The research was funded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and conducted with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
More than 1,380 multiple drinking driving offenders in Maryland treated and deemed eligible for license reinstatement by a medical advisory board were randomly assigned to either a continuing treatment program or a treatment and interlock program. A year later, 2.4 percent of offenders in the interlock program had committed an alcohol traffic violation compared with 6.7 percent in the control group. This difference was statistically significant.
While there have been prior positive evaluations of interlock devices, none has been based on random assignment, rendering their results inconclusive, according to study authors. The state motor vehicle department provided an opportunity to conduct a definitive study by randomly assigning offenders to the interlock program or the standard treatment program.
Interlocks could be removed after the first year, and many of the participants had them removed. The researchers will continue tracking offenses during the second year to determine if recidivism is reduced after the interlock restriction is lifted.
For a copy of "The Effects of Alcohol Ignition Interlock License Restrictions on Multiple Alcohol Offenders: a Randomized Trial in Maryland" by K. H. Beck, W.J. Rauch, and E.A. Baker, write: Publications, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1005 Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201, USA, Fax: 703-247-1678. (Source: Status Report, Vol. 32, No. 5, May 10, 1997)
A study reported in the Journal of Traffic Medicine (Vol. 24, No. 1-2, 1996) examined changes in the fatal traffic involvement for alcohol involved and non-alcohol involved drivers between 1983 and 1990.
Decreases in the rates for alcohol involved drivers exceeded those for non-alcohol involved drivers. Drivers aged 16-20 had the highest alcohol fatal involvement rate in both 1983 and 1990, but they showed the greatest improvement in this rate of all age groups. Female drivers had lower alcohol involvement rates than male drivers in 1983 and 1990, and generally experienced greater decreases in this rate than men. Women aged 25-29 showed less improvement in the alcohol involvement rate than women of other ages. The results suggest that efforts to counteract drinking and driving, particularly among teenagers, have been effective. Women aged 25-29 in 1990 appear to have benefitted less from this trend.
The research report, "Risk of Fatal Crash Involvement According to Alcohol Status: Changes From 1983 to 1990 in the United States," was coauthored by Dawn L. Massie and Kenneth L. Campbell of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
The U.S. National Association of Governors' Highway Safety Representatives (NAGHSR) has released the ABCs of 402, a compilation of state highway safety programs from across the country. The publication describes the successful and effective funding program (known as "402 funding"), and how it is implemented by the states.
Several of the projects highlighted deal with impaired driving. Some provided funding for special impaired driving enforcement patrols, some including active community outreach and awareness efforts. In Montana, the impaired driving program involved the Governor and the Attorney General as well as citizens' coalitions to develop a legislative agenda. In part as a result of this project, Montana passed four significant pieces of impaired driving legislation. Pennsylvania used the special funding program to carry out more than 1,600 sobriety checkpoints in the last five years and has experienced a significant decline in impaired driving crashes. Utah developed a program to reduce underage drinking, especially at parties in outdoor areas. San Francisco carried out a highly successful vehicle impoundment program. Several states implemented drinking driving awareness campaigns for youth.
NAGHSR emphasizes the importance of continued funding of the 402 program in order to sustain and add to these successful programs. For more information or a copy of the report, contact Tad Lee at NAGHSR, 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4241, Tel. 202-789-0942 or Email: naghsra@ari.net.
June 9-11, 1997
Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference X - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Contact Department of Civil Engineering, Ryerson Polytechnic University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 Canada, Tel: 416-979-5192, Fax: 416-979-5174, Email: cmrsc_x@acs.ryerson.ca.
June 6-12, 1997
Lifesavers 15 - National conference on Highway Safety Priorities - Orlando, Florida, USA
Contact Lifesavers Conference, P.O. Box 30045, Alexandria, VA 22310, USA, Fax: 703-922-7944
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: 33-4-50-45 61 79, Fax: 33-4-50-45 36 92. See related article.
September 27-September 30, 1997
15th World Congress of the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine -Ankara, Turkey
Contact XV IATM World Congress, Kizilirmak Caddesi 53/5, Kocatepe 06640, Ankara, Turkey, Fax: 90-312-2872390.
October 5-9, 1997
The Annual Conference of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) - Snowbird, Utah
Contact Linda Williams, Conference Coordinator, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Tel: 801-581-5809, Webpage: http://lysine.pharm.utah.edu/~dcrouch/SOFT97.html.
November 23-27, 1997
The 4th International Conference on Safety and the Environment in the 21st Century - Tel-Aviv, Israel
Contact the Secretariat, Dan Knassim Ltd., PO Box 1931, Ramat-Gan 52118 Israel, Tel: 972-3-6133340, Fax: 972-3-6133341.
January 11-15, 1998
77th 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.
May 17-20, 1998
4th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Contact the Secretariat at PO Box 1558, 6501 BN Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Fax: 31-24-323-4471, Webpage: http://www.consafe.nl/conference/.