Strengthened street security measures related to fewer visitors accidents and drunk-driving

A examine led by researchers from the Division of Well being Economics, Coverage and Administration of the College of Public Well being, LKS College of Medication at The College of Hong Kong (HKUMed) discovered that strengthened street security insurance policies have been related to reductions in street visitors accidents and drunk-driving whereas taxes on beer and wine have been eradicated in 2008. The examine additionally recognized a sustained decline in street visitors accidents linked to elevated police visitors enforcement after 2014. The findings are actually revealed within the journal Habit.

Background

Hong Kong minimize excise taxes on wine and beer by half in February 2007 (from 80% and 40% respectively to 40% and 20%) and eradicated the taxes altogether in February 2008, resulting in a gradual enhance in alcohol gross sales in Hong Kong during the last 15 years. Shortly afterwards, the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Particular Administrative Area (HKSAR) enacted strengthened street security measures in June 2008 (“Street Site visitors Laws (Modification) Invoice 2008”) to counter drunk-driving. This laws empowered law enforcement officials to conduct random breathalyzer assessments and elevated penalties for drunk-driving. The analysis crew examined the short- and long-term results of implementing these street security insurance policies amid an abolition of most alcohol taxes in Hong Kong.

Analysis findings

The examine examined 15 years of month-to-month visitors information from the police and transport authorities of Hong Kong and Singapore. Singapore was used as a comparability as a result of the 2 former British colonies share related historic, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in addition to low patterns of auto possession and alcohol consumption in the course of the examine interval.

From 2004 to 2019, there have been 313,728 street visitors accidents in Hong Kong (2,125 of which have been deadly) and 247,393 collisions. The researchers discovered that the enactment of drunk-driving countermeasures in 2008 was related to an instantaneous lower in critical and deadly street visitors accidents by 13.8%, non-deadly accidents by 6.4% and total street visitors accidents by 6.7%. In the meantime, Singapore reported 163,773 visitors accidents (2,614 of which have been deadly) and 127,993 collisions over the corresponding interval, however no statistically vital adjustments have been discovered.

Circumstances of drunk-driving and collisions involving drunk-driving in Hong Kong every year additionally confirmed vital declines following the 2008 street security laws with the variety of drunk-driving prosecutions dropped by 63.6%, and drivers discovered to have exceeded the blood alcohol focus ranges additionally diminished by 21.9%. This was partly made attainable by the regular enhance within the variety of drivers breathalyzed by the police from 39,764 in 2008 to 73,915 in 2009, and subsequently to 230,770 in 2017. The examine additionally discovered that visitors regulation enforcement actions, reminiscent of issuing unlawful parking tickets, rose sharply in from 1.6 million in 2014 to 2.6 million in 2018. This elevated police visibility and enhanced regulation enforcement are more likely to create a deterrent impact resulting in sustained declines in street visitors accidents, notably critical and deadly ones, which decreased by 12.4% per 12 months after 2014. Against this, no vital adjustments have been present in Singapore over the identical interval.

“Regardless of elevated alcohol gross sales over the previous 15 years, strengthened street security insurance policies and regulation enforcement in Hong Kong are related to internet reductions in street visitors accidents, notably critical and deadly accidents,” stated Dr. Quan Jianchao, Scientific Assistant Professor, College of Public Well being, HKUMed and the College of Enterprise and Economics of The College of Hong Kong. “You will need to be aware that though drunk-driving countermeasures mitigated among the public well being hurt from alcohol tax reductions, street visitors accidents are solely a small facet of the numerous harms from alcohol use. Elevating taxes on alcohol stays one of the vital vital measures to cut back alcohol-related harms, together with continual illnesses, disabilities and deaths.”