www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Before October 1, 2002, Maryland’s regulations for relicensing drivers with 2 recorded alcohol-related traffic violations distinguished between offenders with 5 or more years between their first and second violations and those with less than 5 years.
Our research examined whether this policy was supported by differential probabilities of recidivism and violation-free survival. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/11/11)

Holding alcohol retailers liable for injuries or damage done by their intoxicated customers can reduce motor vehicle deaths, homicides, injuries, and other alcohol-related problems, according to the Community Preventive Services Task Force. The independent, nonfederal, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts has determined that commercial host liability, otherwise known as dram shop liability, can be an effective intervention for reducing alcohol-related harms. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 08/10/11) finanznachrichten.de, 10.8.11

Are the roads safe?
Superficially it seemed like a good year for road safety in Ireland. The recession and emigration meant that traffic, and therefore road accidents, were down last year by 48% from ten years ago, (though up again in the first half of this year). New legislation is set to enforce a lower drink drive level at 50mg, down from 80mg, to comply with European recommendations, and random breath tests are also to be implemented, which are known to reduce incidents of drink driving. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/3/11)garglenation.com, 08/3/11

A crackdown to enforce drink driving and drug driving regulations across Europe saw police conduct almost one million breath tests in a seven-day period, of which more than 17,000 were positive.
Motorists were also checked for drugs in the operation, organised by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) at the beginning of June.
In total, 986,954 drivers were tested and there were 17,705 alcohol offences and 1,636 drug offences detected. Full results, broken down by country, are shown below. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/1/11)fleetnews.co.uk, 07/27/11

Drivers on Czech roads will no longer be stripped of points for small speeding or a small quantity of alcohol in their blood as from Monday, August 1, when an amendment to the road law takes effect. …
The three-point penalty for alcohol up to 0.3 per thousands has been abolished. A higher quantity will be punished with seven points.
The zero toleration of alcohol, however, has been kept just as the ban on driving from six to 12 months for drivers caught driving under the influence of alcohol. Drink and drug driving may be fined with 2500 to 20,000 crowns. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/1/11) praguemonitor.com, 08/1/11

The use of alcohol locks became mandatory as of Monday for all authorized vehicles taking children to school and daycare. An alcohol lock prevents a car from starting if a breathalyzer test shows the driver is over the legal limit.
The use of alcohol locks is from now on required in school and daycare transportation that has been organized by the municipality, the school or public facility, or is otherwise supported by the state or the municipality. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/1/11)yle.fi, 08/1/11

Punishments for drunk driving vary widely by location, ranging from receiving a ticket to landing in jail for a first-time offense, according to USA Today.
When former NBA star and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose was sentenced this week in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield for drunk driving, he was ordered to serve 20 days in the county jail for his first offense. Had he appeared in nearby Pontiac, MI, he most likely would not have gone to jail, the newspaper reports.
States that require mandatory jail time for first offenders include Alaska, Tennessee and Georgia, while no jail time is required for first-time offenders in California, Connecticut and Indiana. Wisconsin gives first-time drunk drivers a ticket. (Source: Join Together, 07/29/11)

Welcome to Global Actions, your briefing on our efforts around the world as part of Global Actions on Harmful Drinking. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 07/07/11) Comment: Active social marketing by the alcohol industry.

Burger King, Sonic and Starbucks are among the fast food chains experimenting with selling alcohol, according to USA Today.
Two Sonic restaurants in South Florida will soon be selling beer and wine along with burgers, the newspaper reports. Burger King “Whopper Bars” that sell beer have opened in Miami, Kansas City and Los Angeles. Several Seattle Starbucks are now selling local wine and beer. These chains are adding alcohol to the menu in an attempt to boost sales during evening hours, the article notes. … (Source: Join Together, 07/5/11)

..from six European countries: the TEN-D by Night Project.
Only few studies with small experimental samples investigated the impact of psychoactive substances on driving performance. We conducted a multicenter international cross-sectional study to evaluate the correlation between alcohol use and driving-related skill as measured by brake reaction time (RT). …
This field study confirms previous experimental data on the negative impact of alcohol use on driving-related skill, supporting regulations and educational campaigns aimed at discouraging driving after consumption of psychoactive substances. (Source: biomedcentral.com, 07/1/11