TY - JOUR PY - 1981// TI - Deterrence at last. The ministry of transport's alcohol blitzes JO - Proceedings International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference A1 - Hurst, P.m. A1 - Wright, P.g. SP - 1283 EP - 1297 VL - 1981 IS - N2 - The blood alcohol legislation of 1969, whose passage was accompanied by little in the way of threatening publicity, had no measurable effect on road losses in New Zealand. During 1978, two nationwide alcohol "blitzes" were organised to determine whether it was possible to create a general deterrence, even if only temporarily. These featured a doubling to trebling of breath testing rates, principally at times and places of heaviest drinking. Tests were only given with "due cause to suspect", although such cause might arise after a motorist had been stopped rather than before. The enforcement was accompanied by threatening publicity. Results were assessed in terms of liquor consumption at ballrooms, tavern carpark occupancy, official accident reports, road injury records from co-operating hospitals, and accident compensation claims. Liquor consumption and carpark occupancies tended downward during the first blitz, when there was also a 20% reduction in road injuries. The accident reduction during the second blitz was greater, with the largest saving occurring during the main drinking hours at which time fatal crashes were down 37% (significant at the 0.001 level). Although these trends outlasted the periods of enhanced enforcement, there was some evidence of subsequent decay. (Author/TRRL)

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