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Communitiess Can Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities

Intervention Can Save Lives
By Buddy T, About.com Created: May 1, 2005 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Filed In:
1. Drunk Driving

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Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Alcoholism and Liver How to Stop Drinking Chronic Alcoholism Alcoholism Guide Communities can decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes by providing better access to substance abuse treatment while reducing the availability of alcohol in the community, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). "These results show that concentrated, community-wide interventions can save lives," notes NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D. "This is the first study to explore the effect of the combined use of increased individually-oriented substance abuse treatment and environmental strategies to reduce alcohol availability." Researchers led by Ralph W. Hingson, Sc.D, Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health and Center to Prevent Alcohol Problems Among Young People, analyzed traffic fatality statistics in communities that had received "Fighting Back" grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Beginning in January, 1992 twelve such grants were awarded to communities throughout the United States to support the implementation of 10-year programs aimed at reducing substance abuse and related problems. The communities developed 15 different kinds of programs or actions that targeted alcohol abuse, including increasing publicly-funded treatment, establishing awareness campaigns about treatment services, initiating hospital emergency department alcohol screening and referral, conducting responsible beverage trainings, and enacting ordinances to prohibit public drinking. "The efforts of five Fighting Back communities - Kansas City, MO; Milwaukee, WI; San Antonio, TX; Santa Barbara, CA; and Vallejo, CA - were considered 'concentrated' because they implemented eight or more actions to restrict alcohol availability and expand treatment," explains Dr. Hingson. Other Fighting Back communities implemented between two and six actions.

Fighting Back Communities

The researchers found that Fighting Back communities that undertook concentrated alcohol interventions experienced significant declines in alcohol related fatal crashes during the 10 years of the program compared with the 10 years before the program. For example, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Santa Barbara, and Vallejo experienced a 22 percent decline in alcohol-related crashes involving blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.01 percent or higher, relative to same-state comparison communities. The concentrated intervention communities also saw declines of 20 percent for BACs of 0.08 percent or higher and 17 percent for BACs of 0.15 percent and higher. In contrast, Fighting Back communities with less concentrated efforts saw no decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

Reducing Alcohol Problems

"As research further defines the types of community interventions that successfully reduce alcoholrelated problems," says Dr. Hingson, "communities can focus on intervention strategies likely to produce desired results. Community organizing interventions may not be sufficient to reduce alcoholrelated problems unless they specifically identify and implement proven interventions or those that have a plausible rationale for reducing alcohol problems." A report of the study appears in the April, 2005 issue of the journal Injury Prevention.

Suggested Reading
Alcohol and TraumaAlcohol-Related ImpairmentDUI - The Costs

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Death of Indian National in Saudi Arabia - Formalitie

Formalities to be completed following the death of an Indian National in Saudi Arabia
i) The death of Indian nationals at Saudi Arabia due to natural / unnatural reasons like traffic accident, work related accident, suicide, murder, etc, is to be intimated to (i) the nearest Police authorities, (ii) next of kin in India, and (iii) the nearest Indian Mission. The mortal remains can either be buried in Saudi Arabia (in case the deceased is a Muslim) or transported to India. The next of kin has to send a letter stating that he/she has no objection for the burial or transportation of mortal remains and authorizing either the sponsor, close relative/ friend or any other person known to them, to take charge of the body for local burial or transportation to India. The hospital will provide Medical Report or Death Intimation Report. Based on this Police Department will issue Police Report. The details of personal items of the deceased are to be listed in front of some witness and handed over to the authorized representative. The authorised representative has to contact the CW Wing of the Embassy with copies of death documents and obtain No Objection Certificate (NOC) for local burial or transportation to India. On receipt of No Objection Certificate, the mortuary authorities will release the dead body for local burial. They will also issue Burial Permission Certificate for cemeteries for burial. In case of transportation to India, the mortal remains are to be embalmed at mortuary. Saudi authorities have fixed fees (SR.2093/-) for embalming and it is to be deposited with the hospital. Fees for coffin is also to be paid at the mortuary (approx. SR.800/-). Hospital authorities to be contacted for embalming of mortal remains only after obtaining clearance from Police authorities/ Governorate concerned. Iqama of the deceased is to be submitted with Jawazat (Saudi Passport Deptt.) for cancellation and Exit visa stamp should be obtained in the passport of the deceased. All documents (both in English & Arabic) are to be given to cargo agents for booking the mortal remains. An affidavit is also to be submitted by the legal heirs to the nearest Airlines office at nearest International/ Domestic airport stating that mortal remains would be accepted by them without any delay from the cargo terminal, on arrival from abroad. The same is to be faxed to the sponsor, cargo agents and to the Embassy. The cargo agency may not accept cargo without this affidavit.

ii)

iii) iv) v) vi) vii)

viii) ix) x) xi)

Top Local Burial - Requirement of Documents

i) Medical Report or Death Report from hospital with English translation.

ii) iii) iv) v) vi)

Copy of Power of Attorney from the next of kin of the deceased with Arabic translation (Duly signed and attested by Notary Public). Police Report copy with English translation (for unnatural death only accident, murder, suicide, etc.). Copy of passport and Iqama of the deceased. Copy of Identity card attorney (copy of passport and Iqama) Letter from sponsor to the Embassy regarding legal dues of deceased.

(Time Required : Documents for attestation may be submitted to the CW Wing of the Embassy between 0840 hrs and 1200 hrs on any working day and are generally returned between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs the same day

Top Transportation of Dead Body - Requirement of Documents

i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) Medical Report or Death Report from hospital with English translation. Copy of Power of Attorney from the next of kin of the deceased with Arabic translation (Duly signed and attested by Notary Public). Police Report copy with English translation (for unnatural death only accident, murder, suicide, etc.). Copy of passport and Iqama of the deceased. Copy of Identity card attorney (copy of passport and Iqama) Letter from sponsor to the Embassy regarding legal dues of deceased. Death Certificate copy with English Translation

(Time Required : Documents for attestation may be submitted to the CW Wing of the Embassy between 0840 hrs and 1200 hrs on any working day and are generally returned between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs the same day

Top Claims for Legal Dues

As soon as the death of an Indian national is notified to the Embassy in Riyadh/Consulate General in Jeddah, the Saudi sponsor is asked to settle the outstanding legal dues. Although in many cases the legal dues are settled before the dead body is buried or sent to India, in many cases, it involves delay on the part of the sponsor. In such cases, the Embassy/Consulate is authorized to receive the dues on behalf of the legal heirs of the deceased. As soon as the dues are received, the amount is remitted by the Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate General of India in Jeddah, to the district authorities for disbursement to the legal heirs of the deceased.

Top

Claims for Death Compensation

According to the Laws of Saudi Arabia, the family of the deceased may claim death compensation from the causer, if the death is due to work accident, traffic accident or murder. If any worker dies while working due to the fault of any machinery, equipment, etc., then the sponsor of the deceased will pay work accident compensation claim. The claim has to be submitted directly to the sponsor. If any worker dies due to a traffic accident or is murdered, the actual causer of the incident/murderer has to pay death compensation. Police authorities after investigation will fix the percentage of responsibility and the compensation amount may differ accordingly. The death compensation claims are to be submitted to Shariah Court and the Shariah Court Judge will decide the amount. Those who wish to submit claim with Shariah Court should nominate any person known to them as their Attorney. The Ambassador of India/Embassy of India may also be given Power of Attorney to represent their case. After hearing all sides, Shariah Court will deliver its verdict. On submission of verdict copy, Saudi Treasury (Baitul Mal) will release compensation amount. Normally most of the cases are being settled by Shariah court within a period of one year. However, in some cases it takes a few years due to some technicalities/ legal hurdles in the proceedings. All compensation claimants should invariably submit (i) Legal Heirship Certificate (LHC) and (ii) Power of Attorney (POA) to the Shariah Court. Legal Heirship Certificate is being issued by Civil authorities (Revenue/ Tehsil / Mandal) in India and Power of Attorney is to be executed by all the legal heirs of the deceased with Judicial authorities (Notary Public) in India. LHC & POA are then required to be translated into Arabic. English and Arabaic versions of both the LHC and POA are to be attested further by (a) Home / General Admin. Department of respective State Governments, (b) Consular Section, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi and (c) the Royal Saudi Embassy / Consulate in India. They are to be further attested with Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice at KSA and submitted to the concerned Shariah Court for settlement of death compensation claim

One fatal accident every five minutes on Indian roads

June 17th, 2008 - 9:28 pm ICT by IANS Send to a friend:

New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) Over 100,000 people were killed in road accidents in India in 2006 and nearly half a million were injured, according to latest government figures. That means one accident per minute and a fatal one every five minutes. In an effort to control accidents, the government plans to introduce tough amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act in the coming session of parliament. They include suspending the licence of a drunk driver on the spot for up to three months. There were around 460,000 road accidents in the country in 2006, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu said here Tuesday, killing 105,749 people and injuring nearly 500,000. At 2000 prices, the losses due to road accidents were Rs.550 billion (nearly $14 billion) a year, which amounted to three percent of Indias GDP, Baalu told the consultative committee of MPs attached to his ministry. With the amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the penalties for various traffic offences are proposed to be enhanced substantially to make it more deterrent, Baalu said. We have proposed that the authorised enforcement authorities may suspend on the spot the driving licence of a drunken driver for a period up to three months and we are also proposing to introduce civil liabilities of a driver by providing penalty up to Rs.5,000 if one drives a motor vehicle in a rash or negligent manner, causing injury to a person or damage to property. Another amendment proposes to raise the interim compensation to accident victims to Rs.100,000 in case of death or permanent total disablement and to Rs.50,000 in case of permanent partial disablement, the minister said. This shall be paid within three months from the date of filing the application in the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) or civil court. We are also providing that the MACT or civil court shall try to finally dispose off the claim for compensation within a period of two years from the date of its filing, said Baalu.

The ministry is designing new model inspection and maintenance centres to be set up by state governments for inspection of motor vehicles. The centre will give financial assistance to set them up. The government will also soon approve the Sundar Committees proposal to earmark at least one percent of the money generated from the cess on diesel and petrol for a road safety fund, Baalu said. The committees proposal for creation of an apex body, the National Road Safety & Traffic Management Board, is also being processed at the highest level. The committee to look into the matter of promotion of road safety in educational institutions through Road Safety Clubs has given its report and a scheme costing Rs.1.2 billion during the 11th plan (2007-2012) has been formulated and sent to the Planning Commission for approval.

Four killed in three road accidents in Delhi

July 3rd, 2008 - 10:22 pm ICT by IANS Send to a friend:

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Four people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed in three accidents in the national capital, the police said Thursday. The boy, Tushar, was crossing road in Madipur area of west Delhi, when a speeding tempo hit him Wednesday evening. He was taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where he was pronounced dead, a police official said. The driver of the vehicle, Ravinder was arrested. The boys father, Azad Kumar works with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. A 32-year-old man was crushed to death when a truck hit the bike that he was riding. The accident occurred on Najafgarh road. The man was identified as Rajesh Chaurasia, a resident of Mansarovar Garden, a police official said. The victim is survived by his wife and son. The truck driver fled from the spot, the official added. In another accident, two people were killed when hit by a speeding truck in east Delhi area Thursday morning. Yamuna Prasad, 23, and Vir Singh, 19, were riding a motorcycle when the accident took place, a police official said. The driver fled from the spot but left the truck at spot. Both the victims worked for a metal equipment manufacturing company in east Delhi, the police said.

Car runs over six kids, three dead

May 17th, 2008 - 1:14 am ICT by admin - Send to a friend:

Ghaziabad, May 16 (IANS) Three children died and three others were critically injured Friday evening when a car ran over them in Ghaziabad, the police said. A man, identified as Nawab, was returning from Friday prayers with his three children and his brothers kids when they stopped to take water from a tubewell in Farooque Nagar locality under Loni police station. While they were standing on the roadside, a Tata safari, driven by an allegedly drunk driver ran over them and fell into a ditch. Three children died on the spot, while three others are struggling for their lives in Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital at Delhi, a police official said. The deceased were identified as Rashid, 5, Muskan, 6, and Samad, 5. Circle Officer C.P. Singh said the driver was arrested and two bottles of whisky, empty glasses and bottled water were found in the car.

Tough Underage Drinking Laws Saving Lives

By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter Tuesday, July 1, 2008; 12:00 AM

TUESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Tougher laws on underage drinking have reduced the rate of drunk-driving deaths in the United States, a new analysis concludes. The study, funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, indicates that state laws which make it illegal to possess or purchase alcohol under the age of 21 have led to an 11 percent drop in alcohol-fueled traffic accident deaths among youth. And states with robust fake ID laws on the books have experienced a 7 percent drop in alcoholrelated car fatalities among drivers below the age of 21, the researchers noted. "This study once again showed that the core laws that make it illegal for underage individuals to possess and purchase alcohol had a significant effect on underage drinking and driving fatalities," said study author James C. Fell, senior program director of traffic safety and enforcement programs with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, based in Calverton, Md.

The findings were expected to be published in the July issue ofAccident Analysis and Prevention. The study authors pointed out that underage drinking legislation and ID rules vary by state. This is despite the fact that since 1988 -- following the passage of a federal law in 1984 that raised the minimum drinking age to 21 -- all states have enforced the two core laws that make it illegal for those under the age of 21 to purchase and possess alcohol. Some states have voluntarily established additional punitive measures to discourage underage drinking. For example, some target stores and/or adults that sell or give alcohol to minors, while others have lowered blood alcohol content (BAC) driving thresholds.

Key rental registration, fake ID screening, minimum server/seller ages, night-time youth driving restrictions, and driving suspensions for underage alcohol violations are some of the other key legal provisions available to states. The current study focused on 16 of the most pertinent underage drinking laws. The authors noted that no single state has embraced all 16 legislative options, although some have gone much further than others in harnessing the law to tackle underage drinking. For example, Fell pointed out that Utah has adopted a decidedly aggressive posture having put in place 15 of the 16 measures. By contrast, Kentucky has passed just six. "I think the timing of this report is very good," added Fell, "because there are several states that are currently considering legislation to actually lower the drinking age back down to 18, either for the military or for all citizens. And this research shows that while the laws we now have cannot totally prevent underage drinking and driving, they are effective and do reduce it." Dr. Karen Sheehan, medical director of injury prevention and research at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and medical director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Chicago, agreed. "This study confirms that the drinking laws designed to limit alcohol use by drivers less than 21 years [old] has accomplished what these laws were intended to do -- decrease the number of fatal crashes," she said. More information For more about underage drinking, visit the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. SOURCES: James C. Fell, senior program director, traffic safety and enforcement programs, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, Md.; Karen Sheehan, M.D., medical director, Injury Prevention and Research, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, and medical director, Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Chicago; July 2008,Accident Analysis and Prevention

A Better Approach to Reduce Drunk Driving

Aug 23rd, 2008 | By Dave Reid | Category: Government, Neighborhoods

Gasoline and alcohol dont mix, says the American slogan. Of course they do. Our urban planners mix them all the time and in great doses. See the zoning codes for confirmation. - Ray Olderburg, The Great Good Place As a society we say dont drink and drive but in this case actions speak louder than words. Zoning and land use policies have an impact on the built environment that often promotes driving and limits other transportation options. These regulations to some extent mandate how we get home from work and unfortunately how we get from the tavern, home. Many regulations are involved in this problem but with adjustments to the three below a real reduction in drunk driving can be promoted.

Minimum parking requirements for bars and taverns Zoning that insures separate land uses Zoning that promotes low population density and discourages mass transit

In most communities throughout the U.S. minimum parking requirements exist for various land uses. Unfortunately these minimum parking requirements encourage automobile travel and even extend to taverns. For example, Franklin, Wisconsins Unified Development Ordinance: Zoning, Development and Land Division requirements show, in the table on page 254, the parking requirements for various land uses including bars or taverns.
Other Required Standard(s) Minimum Required Parking Spaces per 1,000 Square Feet for Off-Street Parking Spaces of Floor Area 10 Or 1 space per 2 seats or stools, plus 1 space

Use

Bar or Tavern

per employee, whichever is greater

Clearly this indicates that a significant number of patrons have the expectation of driving to a bar or tavern and that this is an acceptable practice. Not only does this set the expectation of available parking but it goes a step further and actually encourages people to drive because they know a space will be available. If parking were limited this could encourage other modes of transportation such as walking, mass transit, or cab service to become the preferred method and thus reduce the number of drunk drivers. Many zoning regulations came out of the efforts to separate polluted industrial factories from residential homes but unfortunately this was just the start of separating uses. The separation of uses has spread to the point that now in many communities it is illegal to have a store or a tavern in the neighborhood. Without the corner tavern that is accessible by foot, or by mass transit then people have little choice but to drive. This has added to our long run increase of the number of vehicle miles traveled and although the Alcohol-Related Fatalities and Fatality Rates by State report put out by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration points out that the number of fatalities per vehicle miles driven has dropped we can do more. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities per vehicle miles driven has also dropped dramatically from 1.64 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 1982 down to 0.56 in 2005 (the latest year for which such statistics are available). Specifically the next step in reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities is to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled. This gets to the heart of urbanism, in that walking can be a primary mode of transportation. This would go a long way towards the reduction of the number of drunk drivers by simply taking them of the road. Similiar to the problems created by the separation of land uses, zoning for low density development encourages people to drive by making the distances between home and destination further apart. The report Urban Sprawl and Public Health, put out by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, makes the connection between density, the availability of mass transit, and automobile fatality rates. The NHTSA data do permit comparison of automobile fatality rates by city. In general, denser cities with more extensive public transportation systems have lower automobile fatality rates (including drivers and passengers but excluding pedestrians): 2.65 per 100,000 population in New York, 6.98 in Philadelphia, 5.57 in Chicago, 2.54 in San Francisco, and 4.17 in Portland, compared to 9.97 in Houston, 12.55 in Phoenix, 11.53 in Dallas, 10.65 in Tampa, and 11.21 in Atlanta.
Although these numbers attest to all automobile fatality rates the connection between density, access to mass transit, and automobile fatalities is

apparent. By increasing population density and providing a variety of mass transit options people have choices of how to travel to their destination of choice. Further by having a higher population density this generally supports the availability of entertainment options nearby and again allows for people to make better transportation choices when drinking. Ive touched on just a few of the zoning regulations that promote drunk driving and alluded to the solution. The solution I propose can be called Smart Growth, New Urbanism, Urbanism or just plain old city living but all of these refer to one essential idea. The idea of creating neighborhoods where you can live, work, and play. Essentially we need to get people out of their cars before they get to the tavern. To be clear Im not arguing that city living will be the end of drunk driving. But when we legislate that you drive to the bar and when we build the physical environment so that people are encouraged to drive to the tavern, then the end result will be drunk drivers. So if we want to change this outcome and combat drunk drivingA Better Approach to Reduce Drunk Driving
Aug 23rd, 2008 | By Dave Reid | Category: Government, Neighborhoods

Gasoline and alcohol dont mix, says the American slogan. Of course they do. Our urban planners mix them all the time and in great doses. See the zoning codes for confirmation. - Ray Olderburg, The Great Good Place As a society we say dont drink and drive but in this case actions speak louder than words. Zoning and land use policies have an impact on the built environment that often promotes driving and limits other transportation options. These regulations to some extent mandate how we get home from work and unfortunately how we get from the tavern, home. Many regulations are involved in this problem but with adjustments to the three below a real reduction in drunk driving can be promoted.

Minimum parking requirements for bars and taverns Zoning that insures separate land uses Zoning that promotes low population density and discourages mass transit

In most communities throughout the U.S. minimum parking requirements exist for various land uses. Unfortunately these minimum parking requirements encourage automobile travel and even extend to taverns. For example, Franklin, Wisconsins Unified Development Ordinance: Zoning, Development and Land Division requirements show, in the table on page 254, the parking requirements for various land uses including bars or taverns.
Other Required Standard(s) Minimum Required Parking Spaces per 1,000 Square Feet for Off-Street Parking Spaces of Floor Area

Use

Bar or Tavern

10

Or 1 space per 2 seats or stools, plus 1 space per employee, whichever is greater

Clearly this indicates that a significant number of patrons have the expectation of driving to a bar or tavern and that this is an acceptable practice. Not only does this set the expectation of available parking but it goes a step further and actually encourages people to drive because they know a space will be available. If parking were limited this could encourage other modes of transportation such as walking, mass transit, or cab service to become the preferred method and thus reduce the number of drunk drivers. Many zoning regulations came out of the efforts to separate polluted industrial factories from residential homes but unfortunately this was just the start of separating uses. The separation of uses has spread to the point that now in many communities it is illegal to have a store or a tavern in the neighborhood. Without the corner tavern that is accessible by foot, or by mass transit then people have little choice but to drive. This has added to our long run increase of the number of vehicle miles traveled and although the Alcohol-Related Fatalities and Fatality Rates by State report put out by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration points out that the number of fatalities per vehicle miles driven has dropped we can do more. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities per vehicle miles driven has also dropped dramatically from 1.64 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 1982 down to 0.56 in 2005 (the latest year for which such statistics are available). Specifically the next step in reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities is to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled. This gets to the heart of urbanism, in that walking can be a primary mode of transportation. This would go a long way towards the reduction of the number of drunk drivers by simply taking them of the road. Similiar to the problems created by the separation of land uses, zoning for low density development encourages people to drive by making the distances between home and destination further apart. The report Urban Sprawl and Public Health, put out by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, makes the connection between density, the availability of mass transit, and automobile fatality rates. The NHTSA data do permit comparison of automobile fatality rates by city. In general, denser cities with more extensive public transportation systems have lower automobile fatality rates (including drivers and passengers but excluding pedestrians): 2.65 per 100,000 population in New York, 6.98 in Philadelphia, 5.57 in Chicago, 2.54 in San Francisco, and 4.17 in Portland, compared to 9.97 in Houston, 12.55 in Phoenix, 11.53 in Dallas, 10.65 in Tampa, and 11.21 in Atlanta.

Although these numbers attest to all automobile fatality rates the connection between density, access to mass transit, and automobile fatalities is apparent. By increasing population density and providing a variety of mass transit options people have choices of how to travel to their destination of choice. Further by having a higher population density this generally supports the availability of entertainment options nearby and again allows for people to make better transportation choices when drinking. Ive touched on just a few of the zoning regulations that promote drunk driving and alluded to the solution. The solution I propose can be called Smart Growth, New Urbanism, Urbanism or just plain old city living but all of these refer to one essential idea. The idea of creating neighborhoods where you can live, work, and play. Essentially we need to get people out of their cars before they get to the tavern. To be clear Im not arguing that city living will be the end of drunk driving. But when we legislate that you drive to the bar and when we build the physical environment so that people are encouraged to drive to the tavern, then the end result will be drunk drivers. So if we want to change this outcome and combat drunk driving we need to begin by changing our regulations to encourage dense, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.