Effects of introducing an administrative .05% blood alcohol concentration limit on law enforcement patterns and alcohol-related collisions in Canada (original) (raw)
Related papers
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013
Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of administrative sanctions introduced as part of a new law for drinking drivers in British Columbia, Canada. The new law, known as immediate roadside prohibitions (IRP), aimed to increase the efficiency of police and courts for processing drinking drivers, thereby increasing the certainty of their being apprehended and punished. However, in order to maintain these efficiencies, sanctions under this new law largely replaced laws under the Criminal Code of Canada for Driving While Impaired (DWI) by alcohol, which had more severe penalties but lower certainty of punishment. We examined whether the intervention was related to abrupt significant declines in three types of alcohol-related collisions (i.e. fatalities, injuries or property damage only) compared to the same type of collisions without alcohol involvement. Methods: An interrupted time series design, with a non-equivalent control was used, testing for an intervention effect. Monthly rates of the three types of collisions with and without alcohol involvement were calculated for the 15-year period before and the 1-year period after implementation of the new law. ARIMA time series analysis was conducted controlling for trend effects, seasonality, autocorrelation, and collisions without alcohol. Results: Significant average declines (p < 0.05) in alcohol-related collisions were found as follows: 40.4% for fatal collisions, 23.4% for injury collisions and 19.5% for property damage only collisions. No significant effects were found for any of the three comparable non-alcohol-related types of collisions. Conclusions: These results suggest that provincial law of administrative sanctions for drinking drivers and associated publicity was more effective for minimizing alcohol-related collisions than laws under the Canadian Criminal Code.
2010
The review aimed to assess how effective the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) laws are at reducing road traffic injuries and deaths. It also assessed the potential impact of lowering the BAC limit from 0.081 to 0.05. The review examined: â?¢ drink-driving patterns and the associated risk of being injured or killed in a road traffic accident â?¢ how BAC limits and related legislative measures have changed drink-drinking behaviour and helped reduce alcohol-related road traffic injuries and deaths â?¢ models estimating the potential impact of lowering the BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05 in England and Wales â?¢ lessons from other countries on using BAC laws as part of overall alcohol control and road safety policies. A conceptual framework was used to show how, in theory, a law limiting driversâ?T BAC levels could lead to changes in how much drivers drink and the number of alcohol-related road traffic injuries and deaths. The review of evidence tested these theoretical links and the robus...
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.
Effects of recent 0.08% legal blood alcohol limits on fatal crash involvement
Injury Prevention, 2000
Objectives-This study assessed whether states that lowered legal blood alcohol limits from 0.10% to 0.08% in 1993 and 1994 experienced post-law reductions in alcohol related fatal crashes. Methods-Six states that adopted 0.08% as the legal blood alcohol limit in 1993 and 1994 were paired with six nearby states that retained a 0.10% legal standard. Within each pair, comparisons were made for the maximum equal available number of pre-law and post-law years. Results-States adopting 0.08% laws experienced a 6% greater post-law decline in the proportion of drivers in fatal crashes with blood alcohol levels at 0.10% or higher and a 5% greater decline in the proportion of fatal crashes that were alcohol related at 0.10% or higher. Conclusions-If all states adopted the 0.08% legal blood alcohol level, 400-500 fewer traYc fatalities would occur annually. (Injury Prevention 2000;6:109-114)
Drink-driving law enforcement and the legal blood alcohol limit in New South Wales
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 1994
A.bstract-This paper reports the results of a preliminary analysis of daily fatal crashes in New South Wales, Australia, between July 1975 and December 1986. The analysis unexpectedly uncovered a small but statistically significant decline in crashes coinciding with the introduction of a law lowering the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from .08 to .05 9%. The original aim of the analysis was to develop for a larger study appropriate log-linear techniques to assess the impact of a range of government initiatives, including laws aimed at the drinking driver: increased penalties, the .05 law, and random breath testing (RBT). The analysis showed that RBT immediately reduced fatal crashes by 19.5% overall and by 30% during holiday periods, and that the .OS law, introduced two years before RBT, apparently reduced fatal crashes by 13% on Saturdays. There was no significant effect of the .05 law on any other day of the week, and there was no clear evidence that any other initiative had a statistically significant effect on accidents. Although the apparent impact of the .05 law was small, it is surprising that any effect was discernible, since the law was not extensively advertised and police enforcement was no more intense than is usual over Christmas. However, any effects of the .05 law may not have been sustained if RBT _ 1 had not been introduced two years later.
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.
CJEM, 2016
To determine if changes to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (OHTA) in 2009 and 2010 had an effect on the proportion of alcohol-related motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) presenting to a trauma centre over a 10-year period. A retrospective review of the trauma registry at a Level I trauma centre in southwestern Ontario was undertaken. The trauma registry is a database of all trauma patients with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥12 and/or who had trauma team activation. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Interrupted time series analyses with ARIMA modeling were performed on quarterly data from 2004-2013. A total of 377 drivers with a detectable serum ethanol concentration (SEC) were treated at our trauma centre over the 10-year period, representing 21% of all MVCs. The majority (330; 88%) were male. The median age was 31 years, median SEC was 35.3 mmol/L, and median ISS was 21. A total of 29 (7.7%) drinking drivers died from their injuries after arriving to hospital. There was no chan...
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.