Alcohol, Fatigue, Inattention and Other Immediate Causes of Accidents and Their Significance for an Effective Accident Prevention Strategy

Abstract

Recent findings on alcohol, fatigue and inattention as causes of accidents are described. The trend towards a reduction in the proportion of drink driving fatalities in several developed countries is assessed and it is suggested that this may not be attributable to drink driving campaigns. The phenomenon of accident migration is discussed. Turning drunk drivers into sober drivers by high levels of police enforcement did not reduced the overall fatality rate in British Columbia. The tendency of economic booms to increase the accident rate of a country is described. The benefit/cost ratio of accident countermeasures is debated. On this basis punitive approaches are considered ineffective whereas the effectiveness of positive incentive programs (behavioural technology for reducing risk acceptance) in reducing accidents is often remarkably high. For the covering abstract see ITRD E110301.