The Influence of Alcohol Countermeasures in Changing Drink Driving Attitudes

Action to reduce the Australian road death toll has largely depended on legislative initiatives. The response can be judged by the reduction in the annual number offatalities from 3, 798 in 1970 to 2, 812 in 1984. A significant component of road accident countermeasures concerns the control of illegal drink driving. Alcohol misuse remains the single most important factor contributing to road crash deaths and injuries in a country where solid drinking by the majority of the community is normal behaviour. In Australia, the effectiveness of drink driving control has depended on the development of a package of countermeasures, which includes a blood alcohol legal limit of 0.05g% in all but two states, compulsory blood alcohol testing of casualties, random breath testing and heavy penalties. The effectiveness of these measures in changing drinking habits and attitudes to drink driving is reflected statistically by the reduction in the national percentage of drivers and riders killed with an illegal blood alcohol concentration from 44% in 1981 to 36% in 1984. Over a similar period there was a fall in all fatalities per 10, 000 registered vehicles from 8.5 to 2.9. In the State of Victoria, there was a fall in alcohol-affected casualties from 37% in 1977 to 24% in 1984. A plea is made for uniformity of drink driving legislation on a national basis: more systematic and sequential education programmes for road safety knowledge and behaviour; a better balance in advertising between the promotion of alcohol use and the awareness of the health hazard of alcohol consumption.