Eliminating Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: What Can Be Done?
Authors: Steven M. Teutsch, Timothy S. Naimi
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Ideas and Opinions17 April 2018Eliminating Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: What Can Be Done?Steven M. Teutsch, MD, MPH and Timothy S. Naimi, MD, MPHSteven M. Teutsch, MD, MPHUCLA Fielding School of Public Health and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, and Public Health Institute, Oakland, California (S.M.T.) and Timothy S. Naimi, MD, MPHBoston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.S.N.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0069 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Despite decades of progress, more than 10 000 alcohol-related driving fatalities occur each year, and that number is increasing. Alcohol impairment remains the leading cause of traffic deaths: Approximately 30% involve 1 or more drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above state limits for driving, and 50% involve a BAC above 0. To identify ways of reinvigorating efforts to reduce this trend, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to form a committee to study the problem. The committee's report (1) makes recommendations based on that rigorous study.Getting to 0 sounds ...References1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2017. Google Scholar2. Rosencrantz H, Edvardsson S, Hansson O. Vision Zero—is it irrational? Transp Res Part A Policy Pract. 2007;41:559-67. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. U.S. DOT, National Safety Council launch 'Road to Zero' Coalition to end roadway fatalities. 2016. Accessed at www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/us-dot-national-safety-council-launch-road-zero-coalition-end-roadway-fatalities on 16 November 2017. Google Scholar4. Elder RW, Lawrence B, Ferguson A, Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Chattopadhyay SK, et al; Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The effectiveness of tax policy interventions for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38:217-29. [PMID: 20117579] doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2009.11.005 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Mann RE, Macdonald S, Stoduto LG, Bondy S, Jonah B, Shaikh A. The effects of introducing or lowering legal per se blood alcohol limits for driving: an international review. Accid Anal Prev. 2001;33:569-83. [PMID: 11491238] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Fell JC, Scherer M. Estimation of the potential effectiveness of lowering the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 grams per deciliter in the United States. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2017;41:2128-39. [PMID: 29064571] doi:10.1111/acer.13501 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Elder RW, Voas R, Beirness D, Shults RA, Sleet DA, Nichols JL, et al; Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Effectiveness of ignition interlocks for preventing alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol-related crashes: a Community Guide systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2011;40:362-76. [PMID: 21335270] doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2010.11.012 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Final recommendation statement: alcohol misuse: screening and behavioral counseling interventions in primary care. 2013. Accessed at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/alcohol-misuse-screening-and-behavioral-counseling-interventions-in-primary-care on 27 October 2017. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, and Public Health Institute, Oakland, California (S.M.T.)Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.S.N.)Acknowledgment: The authors thank the National Academies Committee and National Academies staff who worked tirelessly on a very complex task under tight time constraints.Financial Support: The authors received no funding for their participation in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, which was funded by the Department of Transportation, or for preparing this manuscript.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-0069.Corresponding Author: Steven M. Teutsch, MD, MPH; e-mail, [email protected]net.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Teutsch: [email protected]net.Dr. Naimi: Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Crosstown Center, Room 2046, Boston, MA 02118.Author Contributions: Conception and design: S.M. Teutsch.Drafting of the article: S.M. Teutsch.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: S.M. Teutsch, T.S. Naimi.Final approval of the article: S.M. Teutsch, T.S. Naimi.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: S.M. Teutsch.This article was published at Annals.org on 17 January 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byTransport Safety and Security: Alcohol 17 April 2018Volume 168, Issue 8Page: 587-589KeywordsAddictionAlcoholismAlcoholsBlood alcohol concentrationDrug policyDrug safetyDrugsPrevention, policy, and public healthTaxesTraffic safety ePublished: 17 January 2018 Issue Published: 17 April 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...