A Random,Roadside Breathalyzer Survey of Alcohol Impaired Driving in Ghana

To ascertain the prevalence and pattern of alcohol impaired driving in an African nation, we conducted a random, roadside, breathalyzer survey of drivers in Ghana. A total of 149 (21%) of 722 drivers tested had a detectable blood alcohol concentration (BAC). In addition, 7.3% of drivers had a BAC ≥ 80 mg/dl. The prevalence of impaired driving (BAC ≥ 80) was higher among private drivers (9.8%) than commercial drivers (6.4%). However, due to a higher volume, the majority (64%) of impaired drivers were commercial drivers. Alcohol use was higher among uneducated (11%) compared to educated drivers (5.4%) and was higher among middle aged drivers (30 - 49 years, 9.1% impaired) compared with younger (< 30 years; 5.0%) or older drivers (≥ 50 years; 0%). Alcohol impaired driving is a significant problem in this African nation. Anti-drunk driving measures should be an important component of road safety efforts. Such measures may need to be different than industrialized nations and will need to target less educated drivers, middle aged drivers, and commercial drivers.     

MAPPING TROPICAL DEFORESTATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The NASA Landsat Pathfinder Humid Tropical Deforestation Project was to map deforestation activities in the humid tropics using datasets from both the Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) and MSS (Multispectral Scanner System). In Central Africa, its effort had been constrained by the availability of cloud-free satellite coverage, especially for the 1970s Landsat MSS imagery. Here, we reported the deforestation rate and its spatial variability in the region using 18 pairs of co-registered Landsat TM imagery from the 1980s to 1990s. Of the total classified area of 416000 km, there were approximately 217000 km² of dense forest and 24000 km² of degraded forest in the 1980s. A total of 1012 km² of forest, including 542 km² of dense forest and 470 km² of degraded forest, were cleared annually with an annual deforestation rate of 0.42%, varying among scenes ranging from 0.03 to 2.72%. Additionally, an average of 0.12% (ranging from 0.01 to 0.77% among scenes) or 257 km² of dense forest was degraded annually. Regression analyses indicated that extensive deforestation occurred in areas with larger forest cover, including dense and degraded forests. Image interpretation also confirmed the hypothesized relationship between deforestation and forest accessibility. The annual clearance of the dense forest was significantly related to the rural population density, and there was a positive relationship between the dense forest degraded during the 1980s–1990s and the degraded forest area in the 1980s.