The prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving in Alberta (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Prevalence of Alcohol-Impaired Driving in Edmonton, Alberta: 1991-2009
2012
Abstract: This study explores the changes in alcohol-impaired driving among a representative sample of Edmontonians from 1991 to 2009. Based on self-report data from the annual Alberta Surveys of 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2009, this study also traces the shift in the impact of standard demographic factors on alcohol-impaired driving in Edmonton, Alberta.
Status of Alcohol-Impaired Driving in Canada
2018
Multiple data sources show that impaired driving has declined for more than a decade Public concern about drinking and driving has declined and has shifted to other road safety priorities The emergence of new issues has implications for resource allocation Data show criminal courts are overwhelmed and impaired driving cases are resource-intensive Provincial/territorial administrative regimes and other evidence-based impaired driving countermeasures are integral features of Canada's impaired driving strategy and offer important benefits CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES inTroduCTion 1 In this report, several strategies that can help resolve some of these issues are summarized. Specifically, the use of administrative regimes in combination with criminal prosecution has demonstrable benefits which warrant consideration. Administrative strategies are an efficient solution, and programs have evolved to respond to escalating offences. There are also underused alternative sanctions, such as ignition interlocks and remedial programs, which have proven long-term risk reduction effects. It is important that reductions continue to be achieved and burdens on the justice system which can erode the deterrent effects, particularly among repeat offenders, are mitigated. In summary, although impaired driving in Canada has generally declined, there are several key considerations to examine in light of this proposed legislation which warrants concern. At the same time, there are also alternative strategies that can help relieve some of the pressure on the criminal justice system. This analysis underscores that impaired driving is a multi-faceted and complex social issue that remains a relevant public safety concern. As this initiative to legalize cannabis proceeds, it is critical that Canadian legislators, law enforcement, criminal justice professionals, and the general public understand the current status of the alcohol-impaired driving problem.
PUBLIC ATTITUDES, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONSEQUENCES OF DRINKING AND DRIVING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
IATSS Research, 2006
Injury is the ninth most common cause of premature death worldwide and the third most common cause of years lived with disability. Many early deaths are related to motor vehicle crashes (MVC's): each year, MVC's kill 1.2 million people (3,242 deaths/day) and injure or disable 20-50 million more. The Global Burden of Disease Study, conducted in the early 1990s, predicted that trafficrelated injuries will become the third largest contributor to global death and disability by the year 2020. The identification of effective strategies for the prevention of traffic related injuries is of global health importance. The substantial effect of alcohol on road safety has long been recognized, and a variety of important initiatives to combat this problem have been introduced with some measurable success. Canadians have rated drinking and driving as one of the most important social issues facing them today, placing it ahead of other prominent issues, including health care, pollution, and the state of the economy. Two factors that have contributed strongly to motor vehicle injuries and fatalities in British Columbia (BC) and Canada are alcohol-impaired driving and failure to use seat belts. Drivers who operated motor vehicles after drinking were less likely to wear seat belts, and so they continue to be a major traffic safety concern. When compared to restrained occupants, unrestrained occupants were almost 5 times more likely to die (Odds Ratios (OR) 4.70), or be injured (OR 4.66). Fractures (OR 10.70, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 7.35-15.5), lacerations (OR 7.50, CI 5.55-10.15) bleeding (OR 7.14,) and concussions (OR 5.49,), were the more common types of injuries experienced by unrestrained occupants compared to the restrained occupants. Laws mandate the use of safety belts by motor vehicle occupants, and driving under the influence of alcohol is a generic term for a series of offences under the Canadian Criminal Code. Violation of Road Traffic Laws continues to be a serious 'social problem' and can often have fatal consequences as demonstrated in this study.
CMAJ open, 2017
Consequences of alcohol- and drug-impaired driving affect youth disproportionately. We describe individual- and area-level characteristics associated with risky driving and passenger behaviours among grade 9-12 students in Canada. The 2014-2015 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Survey was administered to 24 650 students in provincially generalizable samples. Dichotomous outcomes included ever and last-30-day driving after drinking alcohol, ever and last-30-day driving after using marijuana, and ever and last-30-day reporting of being a passenger with a driver who had been drinking or using marijuana. A total of 9.1% (99% confidence interval 7.9-10.3) of grade 11-12 students reported ever driving after drinking, and 9.4% (99% confidence interval 8.3-10.4) reported ever driving after using marijuana. Almost half (48%) of grade 11-12 students reported ever participating in any risky driving or passenger behaviour. Over one-third (35%) of grade 9-12 students reported ever ridin...
Canadian drivers' attitudes regarding preventative responses to driving while impaired by alcohol
Accident; analysis and prevention, 2017
In many jurisdictions, a risk assessment following a first driving while impaired (DWI) offence is used to guide administrative decision making regarding driver relicensing. Decision error in this process has important consequences for public security on one hand, and the social and economic well being of drivers on the other. Decision theory posits that consideration of the costs and benefits of decision error is needed, and in the public health context, this should include community attitudes. The objective of the present study was to clarify whether Canadians prefer decision error that: i) better protects the public (i.e., false positives); or ii) better protects the offender (i.e., false negatives). A random sample of male and female adult drivers (N=1213) from the five most populated regions of Canada was surveyed on drivers' preference for a protection of the public approach versus a protection of DWI drivers approach in resolving assessment decision error, and the relativ...
Canada's New Drug-Impaired Driving Law: The Need to Consider Other Approaches
2020
Objective: The objects of this study were: To review the state of drug-impaired driving in Canada, particularly in light of the 2008 amendments to the Criminal Code, which authorized police to demand standardized field sobriety testing and drug recognition evaluations, and to consider whether alternative enforcement models would be more effective in terms of detecting and prosecuting drug-impaired drivers and thereby achieve greater deterrence. Method: This article provides a review of survey data, roadside screening studies, and postmortem reports that indicate the prevalence of driving after drug use in Canada. It evaluates the Criminal Code's 2008 amendments and their impact on charges and convictions for drug-impaired driving. It then reviews some alternative enforcement models for drug-impaired driving that have been adopted in other jurisdictions, particularly toxicological testing, and evaluates them against Canada's social, political, and constitutional framework. ...
Severity of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in British Columbia: case – control study
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2006
The objective of the present study was to compare the injury severity and vehicle damage severity rates of alcohol-related crashes with rates of non-alcohol-related crashes in British Columbia (BC). Injury severity rates and vehicle damage severity rates were taken from 2002 Insurance Corporation of British Columbia traffic collision data. The data were computed in order to compare the differences in injury severity and vehicle damage severity rates of alcohol-related vs. non-alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. Case-control methods were used in this study to analyse the risk of alcohol-related crashes compared to non-alcohol-related crashes in BC. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI were calculated to estimate relative risks. In the case-control analysis, the risk of fatal collision was increased for those drinking and driving compared with those driving sober (OR 4.70; 95% CI 3.15-7.01). Risk of injury collision was increased for those drinking and driving compared with those driving sober (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.19-1.37). Importantly, the risk of vehicle damage severity was increased for those drinking and driving compared with those driving sober (write-off vehicle OR 4.24; 95% CI 3.70-4.86, severely damaged vehicles OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.77-2.21). The study reinforces existing literature to suggest that current evidence is sufficient to show an increased risk of injury and fatality to drivers and occupants in alcohol-related crashes. This paper not only emphasizes this well-known relationship, but also such consequences as increased vehicle damage severity. The connection between drinking and severity of motor vehicle crashes is popularly believed and has now received substantial scientific support. There is strong justification for injury prevention experts and policy-makers to step up motor vehicle crash injury prevention advocacy by implementing evidence-based policies to reduce rates of alcohol-impaired driving in the province of BC. Most unintentional injuries in BC are related to motor vehicle crashes. Significant improvements can be made in these statistics by: increasing the use of occupant protection (safety belt and child restraint seats); reducing alcohol-related injuries through multiple strategies including corrections in the physical environment, extensive enforcement of drinking and driving laws and health promotion/education.
Social Influence in Impaired Driving: An Exploration in Alberta, Canada
Social influence is the internal and external social-psychological pressure resulting in performance of certain behavior in different context. This study explored the social influence theory in explaining alcohol-impaired driving among a representative sample of adults in Alberta, Canada. Data for the current study came from the Annual Alberta Survey 2009. Information on drinking and driving habit in the past 12 months, social influence in impaired driving, and socio-demographic factors in impaired driving behavior, was collected through computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) from 1,211 respondents across Alberta. Results indicated that in the past 12 months, 4% of the respondents had driven a vehicle while impaired, and 6.1% of the respondents had been passengers in a vehicle driven by an impaired driver. Chi-square test indicated that male, single, employed, nonreligious, and younger respondents were more likely to have driven while impaired. Logistic regression analyses showed that a one-unit increase in social influence was associated with 5.78 times greater odds of engaging in impaired driving (OR = 5.78, 95% CI = 3.26–10.25, p < .001), controlling for other variables in the model. In addition, the interaction effect indicated that males with higher mean scores in social influence in alcohol consumption scale were slightly more likely to report driving while impaired, compared to females. The current study contributes to the ecological approach by investigating contextual (i.e., social influence) factor that affect people’s drinking and driving behavior. Based on the findings, possible intervention strategies are suggested to reduce impaired driving in Alberta. Keywords: Social Influence, Impaired Driving, Gender Difference, Canada
In the past 40 to 50 years there have been significant advances in raising awareness of drinking and driving and related casualties, identifying response options, implementing interventions and monitoring their impacts. Among the many chronic and acute problems that have been associated with heavy alcohol consumption, it is the drinking and driving arena that has, arguably, attracted the greatest attention involving a combination of prevention efforts, detection, regulatory responses and law enforcement, and epidemiological, psychological and evaluative research. In United States, Canada and a number of other countries a combination of responses has emerged at national, regional and local levels. As a result of increased social concerns about drinking and driving, attitude changes about drinking and driving, and a combination of voluntary action and law enforcement interventions, rates of drinking and driving crashes and incidents have declined in the past few decades. 1,2