Jeffrey R Brubacher1, Herbert Chan, Penelope Brasher, Shannon Erdelyi, Edi Desapriya, Mark Asbridge, Roy Purssell, Scott Macdonald, Nadine Schuurman, Ian Pike. 1. Jeffrey R. Brubacher, Herbert Chan, Edi Desapriya, and Roy Purssell are with the Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Roy Purssell is also with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver. Penelope Brasher is with the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, University of British Columbia. Shannon Erdelyi is with the Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia. Mark Asbridge is with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Scott Macdonald is with the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, University of Victoria, British Columbia. Nadine Schuurman is with the Department of Geography, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia. Ian Pike is with the British Columbia Injury Prevention and Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the public health benefits of traffic laws targeting speeding and drunk drivers (British Columbia, Canada, September 2010). METHODS: We studied fatal crashes and ambulance dispatches and hospital admissions for road trauma, using interrupted time series with multiple nonequivalent comparison series. We determined estimates of effect using linear regression models incorporating an autoregressive integrated moving average error term. We used neighboring jurisdictions (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington State) as external controls. RESULTS: In the 2 years after implementation of the new laws, significant decreases occurred in fatal crashes (21.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=15.3, 26.4) and in hospital admissions (8.0%; 95% CI=0.6, 14.9) and ambulance calls (7.2%; 95% CI=1.1, 13.0) for road trauma. We found a very large reduction in alcohol-related fatal crashes (52.0%; 95% CI=34.5, 69.5), and the benefits of the new laws are likely primarily the result of a reduction in drinking and driving. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that laws calling for immediate sanctions for dangerous drivers can reduce road trauma and should be supported.
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the public health benefits of traffic laws targeting speeding and drunk drivers (British Columbia, Canada, September 2010). METHODS: We studied fatal crashes and ambulance dispatches and hospital admissions for road trauma, using interrupted time series with multiple nonequivalent comparison series. We determined estimates of effect using linear regression models incorporating an autoregressive integrated moving average error term. We used neighboring jurisdictions (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington State) as external controls. RESULTS: In the 2 years after implementation of the new laws, significant decreases occurred in fatal crashes (21.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=15.3, 26.4) and in hospital admissions (8.0%; 95% CI=0.6, 14.9) and ambulance calls (7.2%; 95% CI=1.1, 13.0) for road trauma. We found a very large reduction in alcohol-related fatal crashes (52.0%; 95% CI=34.5, 69.5), and the benefits of the new laws are likely primarily the result of a reduction in drinking and driving. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that laws calling for immediate sanctions for dangerous drivers can reduce road trauma and should be supported.
Authors: James C Fell; Douglas J Beirness; Robert B Voas; Gordon S Smith; Brian Jonah; Jane Carlisle Maxwell; Jana Price; James Hedlund Journal: Traffic Inj Prev Date: 2016-03-15 Impact factor: 1.491
Authors: Thomas K Greenfield; Won K Cook; Katherine J Karriker-Jaffe; Libo Li; Robin Room Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2021-01-28 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Jeffrey R Brubacher; Herbert Chan; Walter Martz; William Schreiber; Mark Asbridge; Jeffrey Eppler; Adam Lund; Scott Macdonald; Olaf Drummer; Roy Purssell; Gary Andolfatto; Robert Mann; Rollin Brant Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2016-03-10 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Jeffrey R Brubacher; Herbert Chan; Shannon Erdelyi; Scott Macdonald; Mark Asbridge; Robert E Mann; Jeffrey Eppler; Adam Lund; Andrew MacPherson; Walter Martz; William E Schreiber; Rollin Brant; Roy A Purssell Journal: Addiction Date: 2019-07-03 Impact factor: 6.526