EU Progress in Fighting Drink Driving and the Use of Alcohol Interlock Devices Mircea Steriu ETSC Communications and PIN Project Officer Dublin 16 April 2012
Presentation outline 1. Introduction to ETSC and our work on drink driving 2. Provisional data on reducing the number of road deaths attributed to drink driving 3. Examples of alcohol interlocks usage in EU member states
ETSC description • Independent non-governmental organisation promoting science-based approach to road safety • Supported in our work by 45 member organisations across Europe (RSA in Ireland) • Funded by our members, the European Commission and corporate sponsors • Bringing together practitioners, researchers, policy-makers and parliamentarians from across the EU
ETSC Activities Monitoring EU Road Safety P erformance transport safety In dex (PIN) - Ranking EU BikePal policy countries‘ performances Road Safety ‘At’ ST udents A cting to Safe&Sober Campaign Work and ‘To’ Work R educe S peed and Drink-driving policy network
Background to drink driving in Europe • Up to 2% of kilometres driven in the EU are driven with an illegal Blood Alcohol Concentration • Of the 31,000 deaths in road collisions in the EU in 2010, 11% were attributed by Member States to drink driving • According to EC estimates, 25% of all road deaths across the EU are alcohol-related=>if this is correct ETSC estimates that 6500 deaths would have been prevented in 2010 if all drivers had obeyed the law on drink driving • Each Member State has its own way of attributing a road death to drink driving • In 2010, 7 countries attributed fewer than 6% while 5 countries attributed more than 30%
Drink driving deaths in 22 countries Relative developments in road deaths attributed to drink driving and in other road deaths in 22 EU countries Deaths attributed to alcohol Other road deaths 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Measuring progress against drink driving • General measures to reduce deaths on the roads have an effect on drink driving deaths as well • Measures to particularly tackle drink driving should make deaths attributed to drink driving fall faster than other road deaths • So ETSC’s chosen indicator of progress over the years in tackling drink driving is the Difference between the average annual percentage reduction in deaths attributed to drink driving and the corresponding percentage reduction in other deaths
Progress against drink driving Difference between the average annual percentage reduction in deaths attributed to drink driving from 2001 to 2010 and the corresponding percentage reduction for other deaths 20% Ireland Slovakia 10% Latvia Bulgaria Hungary 0% EU22 average -1.4% -10% Cyprus Italy Israel -20% Portugal -30% * 2004-2007 **2006-2010 † 2001-2008
Reduction in drink driving deaths Average annual percentage change in the number of road deaths attributed to drink driving from 2001 to 2010 10% 5% 0% -5% EU22 average -7.6% -10% -15% -20% -25% * 2004-2007 **2006-2010 † 2001-2008
Enforcement: checks per 1000 population Country Checks per 1000 population Percentage above legal limit FI 429 0.9% NO 367 0.2% SE 287 0.6% CY 217 5.3% SI 198 4.7% FR 173 3.4% EL 161 2.1% IE 126 1.9% AT 122 3.7% IL 122 1.0% HU 120 3.6% ES 114 1.8% PT 106 3.8% EE 105 0.7% PL 88 4.9% LT 40 1.7% DK 36 6.7% IT 27 2.5% GB 14 11.6%
Positive checks per 1000 population Country Positive checks Country Positive checks per 1000 per 1000 population population CY 11.6 LV 1.9 SI 9.3 SE 1.8 FR 6.0 DK 1.8 BE 5.0 RO 1.7 AT 4.5 GB 1.6 PL 4.3 IL 1.2 HU 4.3 SK 1.2 PT 4.1 LT 1.1 FI 3.9 NO 0.9 EL 3.1 CZ 0.8 BG 3.0 EE 0.7 IE 2.4 IT 0.7 ES 2.0
Alcohol-related work of ETSC Safe & Sober Campaign (supported by the VOLVO Group) • Improving local, regional and national policies for the prevention of Drink Driving in commercial transport; • Addressing measures relating to education; enforcement and engineering; • Promoting alcohol interlocks. Drink-driving Policy Network (supported by DIAGEO) • Targeting young and novice drivers • Improving national policies for the prevention of Drink Driving • Identifying and promoting best practice
Alcohol Interlock barometer
Sweden Recidivist drivers Commercial drivers • First law introducing a nationwide pilot • Started in 1999 with a taxi company, a programme approved in 1998 bus comapny and a trucking company. • Two years (including treatment • As of 2003 many municipalities started for alcohol problems) installing alcolocks in their vehicles • Costs borne by the driver ( US$ • The Swedish Government committed to 5,750) have 75% of governmental vehicles equipped with an alcolock by 2012 • 13% of convicted drunk drivers joined the programme and half • The Government also plans to broaden completed it successfully requirements to school buses and vehicles for urban transport • New legislation expected by the end of the year applying to all drink driving offenders: 2 years for high risk groups (recidivists and > 1.0 BAC) and 1 year for the others.
Finland • First EU country to legislate on alcolocks (July 2008) • Approximately 60% of detected drunk drivers’ BAC limit is over 1.2 g/l • Time period decided by the Courts (at least one year but not more than 3 years) • The programme is associated to rehabilitation with regular visits to health professionals • Costs (€ 100-160 per month) are born by the drivers • Medium term plan to introduce alcolocks for all public transport vehicles
France • France is the only EU country in which alcohol is the main factor in accidents ahead of speeding • First pilot project in 2004in the Haute Savoie region • Offenders with BAC of 0.8 to 1.6 g/l • Six months and € 1,260 • Four to five lower rate of recidivism • Extended to 4 other French regions in December 2008 • New legislation (for recidivist and first time offenders) currently being discussed • All new buses carrying children to be equipped with alcolocks as of September 2010 and the existing fleet to be retrofitted progressively.
Other EU countries • In the Netherlands a bill on the alcohol interlock programme passed by the Senate in June 2010: the legislation is currently under implementation • In Denmark the Ministry of Justice has issued a proposal aiming to introduce an alcolock programme for first time offenders (over 2.0 g/l) and recidivist drivers (over 1.2 g/l). High level of public support (> 73% of the population in favour) • In Belgium new legislation entered into force as of October 2010 for all drink driving offenders (the implementation legislation is still pending). The decision rests on the judge and the alcolock is set at a lower limit (0.2 g/l) than the legal limit (0.5 g/l). • In the UK the Road Safety Bill introduced a pilot rahabilitation programme for drink driving offenders. A coach company fitted alcolocks to its entire fleet (approximately 500 vehicles) in February 2010.
To know more…. ETSC Newsletter to monitor drink driving safety policy developments in the EU www.etsc.eu
ETSC recommendations to the EU • Propose a Directive setting a zero tolerance for drink driving for commercial and novice drivers • Encourage Member States to prepare national enforcement plans with targets including drink driving • Work towards standardised definitions of drink-driving and alcohol-related collisions • Introduce uniform standards for alcohol interlocks in the EU and help all Member States to introduce them • Introduce alcohol interlocks firstly for repeat offenders and professional drivers and in due course in non-intrusive form for all vehicles
Recommendations to Member States • Consider adopting a zero tolerance for drink driving • Intensify enforcement of laws by setting minimum targets for alcohol checks of the driving population (e.g. one driver in 5 should be checked each year) • Introduce systematic breath-testing in all Police checks related to driving or collisions • Introduce rehabilitation programmes and higher penalties to address recidivism • Organise regular nationwide campaigns raising awareness of drink-driving risk • Develop the use of alcohol interlocks in rehabilitation
Thank you for your attention
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