Preparations for the ICADTS 50th anniversary, jubilee International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, T 2000 in Stockholm are well under way. The dates for the conference are May 22 - 26, 2000. Usually, late May provides very favorable weather conditions and Stockholm is in blossoms. The Stockholm City Conference Centre will be the venue of our conference. It is very centrally located. Communications, hotels, restaurants, shopping and entertainment - everything is within convenient walking distance. We have made pre-reservations for 575 rooms at 12 hotels in the vicinity. The real attraction, however, is of course the scientific program, for which we are dependent upon the participants. The call for papers has already gone out. Your abstract is due before the 1st of September, 1999. We have not yet set the date for the full paper. The proceedings will be available before the conference on CD-rom.
T2000 has its own website, where you will be able to find new information about the conference and about Sweden and Stockholm, which we hope will attract your interest and help you plan your trip. You will find us at http://www.vv.se/ts/t2000.htm. The conference center can be found at http://www.stoccc.se. We urge you to start thinking about what to present at T 2000 and to mark the dates for our Jubilee Conference.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the percentage of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States dropped to a historic low in 1997. Last year, 16,189 traffic fatalities or 38.6 percent were alcohol-related, down from 40.9 percent of 42,065 traffic deaths in 1996, and dramatically lower than the 57.3 percent of 43,945 traffic fatalities in 1982. The 1997 figures mark the first time since record-keeping began in 1975 that alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped below 40 percent of the total. Alcohol-related deaths among teens aged 15-20 dropped 5 percent from 2,324 in 1996 to 2,209 in 1997, according to figures from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which is compiled by the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report also shows that:
For further information, contact: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 7th St, SW, Washington, D.C., Tel: (202) 366-9550, Web: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
The Belgian Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry for Public Health recently published the results of the Belgian Toxicology and Trauma Study. This study was carried out jointly by the Belgian Society of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, the Toxicological Society of Belgium and Luxemburg, and the Belgian Road Safety Institute. Data collection for the study involved the administration of a questionnaire and toxicological tests to patients of emergency departments who had been injured in traffic crashes. Only patients over the age of 14 who had been drivers of a bicycle or motor vehicle were included. Data were collected for over 2000 patients between January 1995 and June of 1996. The study examined various demographic characteristics of the injured drivers, the circumstances of the crash, use of seat belts or safety helmets, the nature of injuries, and other data.
Regarding alcohol use, 71.1 percent of drivers had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) below the legal limit (.05 percent). Of the drivers over the legal limit, over two thirds had a BAC exceeding .15 percent and more than one third exceeded .20 percent. Nearly 22 percent of the victims of crashes that occurred during the week had BACs over the legal limit while on the weekends, this figure rose to 39 percent. Among drivers in nighttime crashes on the weekends, 54 percent exceeded the legal limit. Regarding medications and illicit drug use, the most frequently detected drug was benzodiazepines (8.5 percent), with opiates found in 7.5 percent of drivers, cannabis in 6 percent, followed by amphetamines (3 percent), barbiturates (1.3 percent), and cocaine, methadone, and propoxyphene (each less than 1 percent). Twenty percent of those patients with positive drug tests were found positive on more than one drug. For drivers in crashes occurring on weekends, 35 percent of cases positive for drugs were also over the legal alcohol limit. In weekday crashes, the proportion of drug positive cases over the legal alcohol limit was 23 percent.
For copies of this report, contact the Institut Belge pour la Sécurité Routière asbl, Tel: 32 2 244 15 11; Fax: 32 2 216 43 42, E-mail: info@ibsr.be; Website: http://www.ibsr.be.
A national survey of front line police officers' perceptions and attitudes regarding detection of impaired driving, processing of driving while impaired (DWI) charges, criminal court proceedings, and DWI sanctions was conducted. A sample of 1545 officers of all jurisdictions across the country, representative of different types of police services (i.e., national, provincial, municipal) and types of policing (i.e., traffic, general duty) were surveyed by mail. About 71 % of the officers returned completed questionnaires. The results indicate that:
The report was prepared by ICADTS member Brian Jonah, Linda Yuen, Elaine Au-Yeung, Diana Paterson, Nancy Dawson, Rachel Thiessen, Hans Arora, of the Road Safety Directorate, Transport Canada and Borden Graham and Maurice Pilon of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. To obtain a copy of the report contact the Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Transport Canada, 330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario, KIA ON5, Canada, Email: jonahb@t.gc.ca.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsored a study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to evaluate how vehicle impoundment affects the driving behavior of drivers who are unlicensed or whose licenses are suspended or revoked. California began an impoundment program in January, 1995. Under the program, law enforcement officers can impound vehicles on the spot of drivers who do not have a valid license. The impoundment period lasts for 30 days. According to law enforcement agencies throughout the state, more than 100,000 vehicles are being impounded each year.
More than 6,300 unlicensed, suspended, or revoked drivers whose vehicles were impounded were compared to about the same number of drivers in 1994 whose vehicles would have been eligible for impoundment in the new program in 1995. For one year, the driving records were gathered and compared for convictions of, driving while suspended (DWS) or driving while unlicensed (DWU), total traffic convictions, and crashes for both first time and repeat offenders.
First offenders whose vehicles were impounded had an average rate of subsequent DWS or DWU conviction that was 24 percent lower than those whose vehicles had not been impounded. Repeat offenders had 34 percent fewer DWS or DWU convictions than their control group. Drivers whose vehicles were impounded also had fewer subsequent traffic convictions. For first offenders, recidivism was 18 percent lower than drivers who still had access to their vehicles. The differences were even more striking for repeat offenders. Repeat offenders whose vehicles were impounded had 22 percent fewer traffic convictions than those whose vehicles had not been impounded. Both first time and repeat offenders whose vehicles were impounded also had fewer crashes. There was a 25 percent reduction for first time offenders and a 38 percent reduction for repeat offenders in subsequent crashes.
Vehicle impoundment is having a positive effect on traffic safety in California, reducing the number of crashes and subsequent citations. Importantly, it appears even more effective for repeat offenders -those high risk drivers who traditionally have been resistant to change. Removing access to the vehicle by impounding it is one way to limit driving during periods of suspension or revocation.
For a copy of the report, An Evaluation of the Specific Deterrent Effect of Vehicle Impoundment on Suspended, Revoked and Unlicensed Drivers in California, write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records, NTS-31, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, Fax to 202-366-7096, or Email: mlevy@nhtsa.dot.gov.
The University of California, San Diego has won the first annual College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Award for its innovative efforts to reduce alcohol abuse and drinking and driving on campus. The $1000 award is sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. The new award program recognizes Southern California college and university programs that reduce campus drinking and driving or control campus alcohol or drug use which can result in impaired driving.
UCSD received the award for developing the Creating Responsible Alcohol Services and Habits (CRASH) team of students.
More information about the Drinking and Driving Prevention Award is available from the Auto Club's web site at http://www.aaa-calif.com or the Higher Education Center's site at http://www.edc.org/hec. Colleges and universities throughout Southern California can once again have the opportunity to submit entries. For more information or to apply for the award, contact Steven A. Bloch, Ph.D. at AAA at Tel: 714-885-2313 or Email: sab-acsc@yahoo.com.
The Department for Administrative and Information Services of South Australia recently released a report on the findings of a study of the role of alcohol, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants in non-fatal traffic crashes. A provision of the Road Traffic Act of South Australian requires that any person over the age of 14 years who attends one of the 70 prescribed hospital emergency units following a road crash must provide a blood sample. Driver's blood test results were matched with crash details from police crash report forms. Matching occurred for 2500 drivers in crashes that occurred in 1995 and 1996.
A total of 22.6 percent of the sample tested positive for at least one drug, including alcohol; 10.3 percent were positive for drugs other than alcohol. Cannabinoids were found in 7.1 percent as the sole drug and in 3.7 percent in combination with other drugs. Benzodiazepine were present in 2.7 percent of the samples, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Stimulants were found in 1 percent of the samples, either alone or in combination. There was a clear relationship between alcohol and culpability. Among drivers positive for alcohol only with a blood alcohol concentration over .05 percent, culpability was around 90 percent, compared with 53.5 percent for the drug free group.
A positive relationship was also found between benzodiazepines and culpability. The majority of drivers positive for benzodiazepines showed concentrations within the therapeutic range. There was no significant effect of either cannabinoids or stimulants on culpability. While a relatively large number of injured drivers tested positive for cannabinoids, culpability rates were no higher than those for the drug free group. For drivers who had combined marijuana and alcohol, the culpability was no greater than for alcohol alone. By contrast, the combination of alcohol and benzodiazepine appeared to produce a marked degree of impairment. The results emphasize the need to continue to focus on alcohol as the drug which contributes most to road crashes.
For a copy of the full report, authored by C.E. Hunter, R.J. Lokan, M.C. Longo, J.M. White and M.A. White, call 61-8 8226 7700 or Fax: 61-8 8226 7777 or E-mail: admin@forensic.sa.gov.au.
Dr. Williain DeJong of the Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, and ICADTS member Dr. Ralph Hingson of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University Medical Center, School of Public Health have prepared a review of Strategies to Reduce Driving under the Influence of Alcohol. The purpose of this review is to update research on the prevention of alcohol related traffic deaths since the 1988 Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving. Four primary areas of research are reviewed: (a) general deterrence policies, (b) alcohol control policies, (c) mass communications campaigns, including advertising restrictions, and (d) community traffic safety programs. Modern efforts to combat drunk driving in the United States began with specific deterrence strategies to punish convicted drunk drivers, and then evolved to include general deterrence strategies that were aimed at the population as a whole. Efforts next expanded to include the alcohol side of the problem, with measures installed to decrease underage drinking and excessive alcohol consumption. In the next several years, greater efforts are needed on all these fronts. Also needed, however, are programs that integrate drunk driving prevention with other traffic safety initiatives. (Annual Reviews Public Health. 1998. 19:359-78)
The US. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has resources available to assist in the detection of DWI at BACs below .10 percent. The behavioral cues used by police to identify impaired drivers were developed in the 1980's by NHTSA for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .10. As more states lower their BAC level to .08, NHTSA completed a revalidation study of the cues at the lower level. The study confirms the key cues that were contained in the original NHTSA guide, provides additional cues and 10 post-stop cues that are good predictors of DWI at .08. In addition, there is a brochure called The Visual Detection of DWI Motorists that breaks down the 24 DWI cues into four main categories. A Training Videotape is also available. To order at no cost: write or fax Media & Marketing Division, NHTSA, NTS-21, 400 Seventh St. S.W, Washington, DC 20590, Fax: 202-493-2062.
The ICADTS Executive Board recently elected new members to ICADTS. They include: Mr. Gregor Bartl and Dr. Ralf Risser, Austria; Mr. Richard Laslett, Australia; Mr. Claude Dussault, Canada; Dr. Anni Steentoft and Dr. Karen Worm of Denmark; Dr. John S. Oliver, Scotland; and Mr. Martin Breen and Dr. Betty J. Buchan, United States. Each new member was nominated by two active ICADTS members and approved by the Membership Committee and the Executive Board. In addition, Mr. Michael Colson, France was approved as an Affiliate member. Colleagues working in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety who are interested in becoming members of ICADTS, can obtain information on ICADTS membership and an application, by checking the ICADTS Web Site or by contacting the ICADTS, Secretary, Carol L. Popkin Council, Division of Mental Health, Department of Human Resources, 325 N. Salisbury Street #1168, Raleigh, NC 27603-5903, U.S.A. Phone: 919-733-4671, Fax: 919-733-9455, Email: cpopkin@dhr.state.nc.us. Current dues for ICADTS are $60 per year.
January 10-14, 1999
78th 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.
April 27-29, 1999
Australian Conference on Drugs Strategies (Including Drugs and Driving) - Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
For information and registration, contact Chef Inspector Graham Lough, SAPOL, Tel: 61-8-8202 or Email: DAP@camtech.net.au.
May 9-12, 1999
Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference XI - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Information about the conference, or abstracts in either English or French can be submitted to CMRSC-XI, Vehicle Safety Research Team, Dalhousie University, 5257 Morris Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4, CANADA, Tel: 902-494-3290, Fax: 902-425-1096, Email: vsrt@dal.ca.
May 24-27, 1999
16th World Congress of the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine-Chongquing, China
For information about attending and/or submitting an abstract, contact the Secretariat of the 16th World Congress of IAATM, Research Institute of Surgery, Daping, Chongquing 400042, P.R. China, Tel/Fax: 86-23-68805645, Email: traumars@public.cta.cq.cn.
August 16-20, 1999
38th International Congress on Alcohol and Drug Dependence - Vienna, Austria
For information, contact ICAA, P.O. Box 189, 1001 Lausanne, Switzerland, Fax: 41-21-3201798, Email: icaa@pingnet.ch.
September 20-21,1999
43rd Annual Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine-Melia Gran Sitges, Barcelona (Sitges), SPAIN. Joint Session with IRCOBI follows (September 22).
Contact: Irene Herzau, Tel: 847-390-8927, ext. 11; Email: AAAM1@aol.com
May 21-26, 2000
15th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, ICADTS Jubilee Conference- Stockholm, Sweden
Contact the Conference Secretariat, c/o The Swedish National Road Administration, SE-781 87 Borlänge, Sweden, Tel: 46 243 75000, Fax: 46 243 75825, Email: t2000@vv.se. Also visit the T'2000 web site: http://www.vv.se/ts/t2000.htm.