DRINKING AND DRIVING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: CONFRONTING THE CHALLENGE

By Robyn Robertson Reprint | | Print |

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OTTAWA, May 17 2011 (IPS) - There has been much progress in reducing drinking and driving in industrialised countries over the past 30 years. However, while drinking and driving continues to be a source of concern in developed countries, it is an even greater concern in developing countries. This is not only because alcohol-related crashes have significant [social and] economic costs, but because they often result in the death or serious injury of breadwinners such that families are no longer able to pay for essentials and are forced into poverty.

To date it has been challenging to measure the magnitude and characteristics of the problem in developing countries due to the lack of available data. Among those countries that do collect data, data is often incomplete, and it can be difficult to make comparisons due to varying definitions and terminologies used to describe alcohol involvement in road crashes. In addition, there are often inconsistent or non-existent data linkages between different systems (e.g., police, health and transportation), resulting in an incomplete picture of the problem.

However some data are available that provide insight into the problem. The ‘Drinking and Driving Road Safety Manual’ produced by the Global Road Safety Partnership in 2007 reported the findings from a 1995 study by Professors Wilson Odero and Anthony Zwi. Results of that survey of studies undertaken in low and middle-income countries revealed that alcohol was present in 4-69 percent of injured drivers; 18-19 percent of crash-injured pedestrians, and 10-28 percent of injured motorcyclists.

A report from the World Health Organization’s ‘Global Status Report on Road Safety 2009’ based upon a survey of 178 countries revealed that the proportion of alcohol-related road deaths varied among countries between less than 5 percent to more than 50 percent. It is further noted that only 50 percent of countries that participated in the survey had any data on the proportion of road deaths attributable to alcohol, and, of these, the data was often incomplete. The bottom line is that the under-reporting of alcohol involvement in road fatalities continues to be a significant challenge -data in relation to non-fatal injuries is even more limited.

There are also some common barriers in developing countries that make it challenging to address the drinking and driving issue. As noted, in many countries the magnitude and characteristics of the problem are not well understood. Without this critical data, it can be difficult to generate political support for legislative and policy changes that are much needed. For example, in some developing countries drunk driving laws are rarely comprehensive or backed up by much needed enforcement that can create general deterrent effects.

Without data it can also be difficult to demonstrate the need for increased enforcement or public awareness campaigns. Countries that have managed to put in place drunk driving legislation may still suffer from lack of training initiatives for safety professionals, resources for equipment or the implementation of road safety strategies. A key challenge noted with regard to the implementation of solutions is that institutional frameworks may be poorly developed or lack sufficient resources in many countries to be effective.

However, there appears to be growing awareness of, and concern about, impaired driving in developing countries, particularly in response to global efforts to improve road safety such as those led by the World Health Organization and the Global Road Safety Partnership. Important priorities include the improvement of data collection strategies, the setting of legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits, and public education initiatives.

According to a comprehensive road safety manual on drinking and driving from the Global Road Safety Partnership (2007), countries are taking action. Surveillance systems to monitor alcohol involvement in all crashes are present to varying extents in Thailand, Bangalore, India, Colombia; and in Sunsai and Dharari, Nepal. Some countries such as Kenya have undertaken roadside surveys in urban settings to gather better measures of alcohol use among the general driving population. This has, in turn, informed decisions with regard to legal BAC limits and to promote strategies that deter drinking and driving. In Thailand, efforts have been undertaken to increase support among province representatives for the development of public education campaigns targeting drinking and driving. Awareness efforts have also been undertaken in Namibia and Papua New Guinea. These efforts are to be supported and encouraged.

Past experiences in industrialised jurisdictions have demonstrated the valuable role that national and international beverage companies are able to play in order to reduce alcohol-related crashes in low and middle income countries. As evidence of this, the Brewers Association of Canada has partnered with government and the automotive industry to monitor the attitudes, behaviours and opinions of Canadians with regard to the impaired driving problem. At the same time, they have also been actively involved in the development of a consensus-based National Alcohol Framework. In the United States, brewers have supported independent, landmark research initiatives that provide important insight into priority problems in the justice system and have supported the development of practical solutions. In Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world, brewers have promoted public awareness campaigns and responsible drinking initiatives, and have supported enhanced legislation, enforcement measures, and evidence-based programmes.

There are also a number of ways in which governments in industrialised countries and other stakeholders can assist their counterparts in the developing world. Knowledge transfer initiatives are paramount to success and there is much that can be learned from the more than 40 years of alcohol research that has been conducted in industrialised countries. In particular, knowledge with regard to the effects of impairment -even at low levels of alcohol- and the relative risk of crashes can help form the basis to guide legislative and policy change as well as public education efforts.

Governments and other stakeholders are also well positioned to inform the development of data surveillance systems to measure and monitor impaired driving, to assist in the development and implementation of tailored interventions, and to support the development of evaluation methods for these interventions.

Of greatest importance, immense efforts are needed to support the development of transportation professionals and road safety researchers in developing countries to ensure that they can build local capacity to sustain strategies aimed at reducing impaired driving. It should also be underscored that developing countries must be supported in the development and application of interventions that are evidence-based, culturally appropriate and have been piloted in a local environment to ensure success. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Robyn Robertson is President and CEO of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Ottawa, Canada

This column is part of a series of opinion articles and interviews about corporate social and environmental responsibility, supported by Anheuser-Busch InBev