SMART Approaches in Tackling Drink Driving European Road Safety Conference 1 Alcohol and driving in Germany Prague May 7th, 2015 Dr. Horst Schulze Federal Highway Research Institute

2 6 th EU Framework Program project Start: Duration: five years EU contribution: 19 Mio. € 37 partners 17 EU Member States and Norway Seven Work Packages Co-ordinator: BASt, Germany May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze Druid: some facts

3 Problem situation: Epidemiology Controls: Roadside survey Drivers of personal vehicles Stratified sample Checked at random N = Cases I: injured drivers Drivers of personal vehicles Seriously injured (MAIS≥2) N = Cases II: killed drivers Drivers of personal vehicles Killed in traffic N = Conducted in 13 countries according to a standardized procedure May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

4 Roadside survey: All substances Prevalence of all psychoactive substances: EU-Average: 7.43% Colours No data above European average below European average May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

5 Most prevalent periods: weekend nights, week nights (22:00-04:00) Alcohol 2-4 times more prevalent in male than in female drivers Alcohol most prevalent among male drivers 50+ Roadside survey: All substances May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

6 Roadside survey: Alcohol + drugs Combination any drug + alcohol European mean: 0.37% (alcohol > 0.1g/L: 3.5%) May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

7 Prevalence and risk May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

8 AlcoholDrugsMedicines Target groups ♂ < 35 years ♂ > 50 years Addicts ♂ < 35 years alcohol + drugs drugs + drugs sleep deprivation ♀ > 50 years healthcare providers Enforcementfocus on alcoholnot at cost of alcohol enforcement more training in drug detection focus on misuse and combined consumption DRUID: Recommendations May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

9 AlcoholDrugsMedicines Rehabilitation measures EU-wide harmonization in case of misuse Withdrawal EU-wide harmonization 3-12 months combination of conditional withdrawal and treatment zero alcohol limits for young, novice and professional drivers EU-wide harmonization for regular consumers in combination with rehabilitation in case of misuse Future investigations evaluation of countermeasures alternative empirical methods Improvement of drug screening devices dried-blood-spots more research standardization of assessment May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze DRUID: Recommendations

10 Accident risk – empirical evidence Alcohol ban for novice drivers Even a small blood alcohol concentration may impair driving ability of young, inexperienced drivers significantly. May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

11 Accident risk – Preusser (2002) Relative accident risk (reference value are unimpaired 35 to 49 year olds) May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

12 International Evaluations Alcohol ban for novice drivers ● US, Canada : Reduction of fatalities between 11 and 33% ●Austria: O, 1 ‰ alcohol limit in combination with the introduction of the probationary driving reduction of the proportion of drunk novice drivers (BAC above 0.8 ‰) that were involved in accidents with serious injuries or fatalities to 16, 8% May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

13 Acceptance of alcohol prohibition Survey on alcohol ban for novice drivers (DEKRA, N=1100, 2007) ● 86.4% of drivers of all ages welcome the new regulatory ● 83.5% of the 16 to 26 year olds FORSA-Survey made on behalf of the „Stern“ (18- to 25 year old, N=1001, März 2007) ● 92% argue for a total ban on alcohol for novice drivers Internet-survey DVR (novice drivers, N=mehr als , 2006) ● 82% argue for a total ban on alcohol for novice drivers May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

14 German Regulations Zero tolerance alcohol law for novice drivers Initial point: Implementation of the law: August The limit is applicable to novice drivers of all ages during two years of probation and to all drivers under 21. This decision was made referring to studies on risk factors and accident statistics: - Alcohol remains a very important accident cause. - In 2007 one third of all alcohol related accidents were caused by drivers between 18 and 24 years old. - Exceptionally high risk of younger drivers is the result of the combination of multiple factors. Aims of evaluation: It was investigated how the new law affects the accident events and alcohol-related traffic offenses committed by the target group. May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

15 German Road Safety Measures Implementation of zero tolerance alcohol law for novice drivers (2007) Evaluation study Accidents The total number of novice drivers that were involved in accidents and had a blood alcohol content of at least 0.03 percent dropped by 15% in the first 12 months after the introduction of the law. Alcohol offences A reduction of 17% of all the registered alcohol offences among young drivers under 21 years of age was found during the period after the introduction of the law. This compares to a reduction of 2.5% for all persons older than 21 years. (Holte, Assing, Pöppel-Decker & Schönebeck, 2010) May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

16Dr. Horst SchulzeMay 7th, 2015 Accident Statistics

17Dr. Horst SchulzeMay 7th, 2015 Accident Statistics

18May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze Accident Statistics

Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen May 7th, Dr. Horst Schulze Accident Statistics

20May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze Accident Statistics

21 Conclusions Alcohol is the most prevalent substance in seriously injured and killed drivers in Europe The zero tolerance alcohol law for young and novice drivers improved traffic safety (accidents, offences) of this group substantially. The acceptance of the law was high in the target group right from the beginning –key factor for success –When acceptance remains high, a sustainable consolidation or even increase of the effect can be reached To stabilise acceptance and compliance: -Thematic presence of the danger of DUI driving in public (campaigns etc.) and educational measures -Enforcement “Driving Drinkers” can not be reached only by legal measures Enforcement Withdrawl Rehabilitation May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze

22 Thank you very much for your attention ! May 7th, 2015Dr. Horst Schulze