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Trends in drinking driver fatalities in Canada
D J Beirness1, H M Simpson, D R Mayhew
1Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Canada, Ottawa, ON.
Summary
Public awareness campaigns significantly reduced drinking and driving fatalities in Canada throughout the 1980s. However, a core group of high-BAC drivers remains resistant to current countermeasures, necessitating new strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Transportation Safety
- Criminology
Background:
- The 1980s saw unprecedented public and political focus on the issue of drinking and driving.
- Previous decades showed little change in the magnitude of the alcohol crash problem.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of public and political efforts on drinking and driving in Canada.
- To examine trends in drinking driver fatalities as an indicator of the alcohol crash problem's magnitude.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of trends in drinking driver fatalities in Canada.
- Examination of data from the 1980s, comparing it to previous years.
Main Results:
- A significant decline in both the number and percentage of drinking driver fatalities began in the early 1980s.
- This downward trend in alcohol-related crash fatalities persisted throughout the decade.
- Drivers with very high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) were largely unaffected by traditional deterrence and persuasion strategies.
Conclusions:
- Collective public and political action in the 1980s effectively reduced drinking and driving fatalities.
- A persistent "hard core" group of high-BAC, heavy-drinking drivers remains a significant challenge.
- Innovative programs are required to address this resistant group effectively.