Blood alcohol concentration in fatally injured drivers and the efficacy of alcohol policies of the new law on road traffic safety: A retrospective 10-year study in autonomous province of Vojvodina,Republic of Serbia

Objective: The aim of this study was primarily to evaluate inebriated fatally injured drivers (FIDs) according to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in a 10-year period (2004–2013) in Autonomous Province (AP) of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, to analyze the efficacy of alcohol polices in the new law on road traffic safety through changes in the number of inebriated FIDs before and after implementation of the law, as well as to identify factors that influence the occurrence of FIDs with BACs above the legal limit.

Methods: All data for this retrospective study were obtained from the Centre of Forensic Medicine, Toxicology and Molecular Genetics of Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Novi Sad. Autopsy records for each case included age, gender, BAC, type of vehicle, and date of accident (year, month, and recalculated day of the week). BAC was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Statistical analysis was carried out by chi-square tests and Student's t test, with P < .05 as a statistical significance, and multiple binary logistic regression.

Results: Of the 354 inebriated FIDs (60% of all FIDs), the majority had BACs between of 0.031 and 0.3 mg/ml (28%), followed by those with BAC > 2.01 mg/ml (23%). The average BAC of those driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA) for the whole period was 1.235 ± 1.00 mg/ml and the average number of DUIA/year was 35. Among the total number of FIDs there were significantly more males (93.7%; P < .001) than females (6.3%), though the distribution of intoxicated men and women was not different (P > .05). There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of sober and inebriated FIDs according to age (P < .001) with the predominance of inebriated FIDs between 21 and 30 years. Although gender and age were found to be significant predictors of BAC above legal limit in FIDs, the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve showed that the model had poor discrimination (ROC = 0.673). Of all observed FIDs, 65 cases per year were attributed to the first 5-year period (2004–2009) and 49 to the second 5-year (2010–2013) period, which indicates that there was no statistically significant decrease in the number of FIDs after implementation of the new law.

Conclusion: The highest number of intoxicated FIDs during the period in AP Vojvodina were mildly and completely inebriated. In the 4-year post-policy period (2010–2013), the number of FIDs and average BAC levels of inebriated FIDs did not significantly change. The abolition of a permissible BAC should be considered.     

The influence of alcohol on pedestrians: A different approach to the effectiveness of the new traffic safety law

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the new traffic safety law on pedestrian mortality by exploring hazardous behaviors of pedestrians in terms of alcohol use and blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Methods: A retrospective autopsy study was performed, covering a 7-year period (from 2006 to 2012), including cases of fatally injured pedestrians who died at the scene of the incident. Blood samples obtained from the femoral vein during autopsy were analyzed for BAC. The entire sample was divided into 2 groups. The first included cases from 2006 to 2009, at which time the old traffic safety law was in force, and the second included cases from 2010 to 2012, under the new traffic safety law.

Results: A total of 247 cases were examined, covering a 7-year period. The average age was 57.5 ± 19.7 years (median 61.0 years) with a significant male predominance of 147 men to 100 women. This predominance also applied to alcohol use (54 vs. 13). The results show a significant decrease in the total annual number of fatally injured pedestrians, starting from 2009, compared to previous years, reaching a low in 2010, one year after implementation of the new traffic safety law. In contrast, the proportion of alcohol-intoxicated pedestrians showed no significant difference in the years preceding and following the new traffic safety law, nor did the annual distribution of BAC or mean BAC before and after application of the new law.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that the new traffic safety law has been quite effective in reducing pedestrian mortality. However, alcohol consumption and intoxication in pedestrians remains a fairly important factor in motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians, because the proportion of pedestrians positive for alcohol, the proportion of severely intoxicated pedestrians with BAC > 1 g/L, and annual mean BAC have remained unchanged.     

Fatally injured drivers in Norway 2005–2015—Trends in substance use and crash characteristics

Objective: Norway introduced a “Vision Zero” strategy in 2001, using multiple approaches, aiming toward a future in which no one will be killed or seriously injured in road traffic crashes (RTCs). Official statistics show that the number of fatally injured road users has declined substantially from 341 deaths in 2000 to 117 in 2015. In-depth crash investigations of all fatal RTCs started in Norway in 2005. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fatal crash characteristics, vehicle safety features, and prevalence of drugs and/or alcohol among fatally injured drivers and riders has changed during 2005–2015, accompanying the reduction in road fatalities.

Methods: Data on all car/van drivers and motorcycle/moped riders fatally injured in RTCs during 2005–2015 were extracted from Norwegian road traffic crash registries and combined with forensic toxicology data.

Results: The proportion of cars and motorcycles with antilock braking systems and cars with electronic stability control, increased significantly during the study period. The prevalence of nonuse of seat belts/helmets and speeding declined among both fatally injured drivers and riders. In addition, the prevalence of alcohol declined, though no significant change in the total prevalence of other substances was noted.

Conclusion: The observed changes toward more safety installations in cars and motorcycles and lower prevalence of driver-related risk factors like alcohol use, speeding, and nonuse of seat belts/helmets among fatally injured drivers/riders may have contributed to the decrease in road traffic deaths.     

Driving under the influence of alcohol and the effects of alcohol prohibition—Case study in Serbia

Objective: The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the prevalence of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) according to day of the week, specific roads (urban/rural), daytime or nighttime, and vehicle category. In addition, this study examines how the prohibition of selling alcoholic drinks in shops and supermarkets (not in restaurants) after 10 p.m. has affected the prevalence of DUI.

Method: Breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) was collected from all drivers through police checkpoints at 54 locations in Serbia. In this study, 17,945 drivers were tested in urban areas and 19,507 in rural areas. The relationship between DUI during the prohibition on alcohol sales in Belgrade and other large cities in Serbia was determined using logistic regression.

Results: On average, every 100th driver in traffic in Serbia was DUI (0.99%). This study shows that the 0 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for motorcyclists does not have an influence on DUI. Moreover, motorcyclists represent the category with the highest share of DUI, with a statistically significantly larger difference compared to drivers of other vehicle categories. These results may be a consequence of the fact that a large number of drivers drive both motorcycles and other vehicle categories (cars or mopeds), so the different BAC limits for nonprofessional drivers may create confusion about the legal BAC limit.

Conclusions: This study suggests that the required legal BAC limit for nonprofessional drivers should be the same. The prohibition of selling alcoholic drinks in Belgrade after 10 p.m. does not decrease the prevalence of DUI.     

Effects of Dram Shop,Responsible Beverage Service Training,and State Alcohol Control Laws on Underage Drinking Driver Fatal Crash Ratios

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine whether three minimum legal drinking age 21 (MLDA-21) laws—dram shop liability, responsible beverage service (RBS) training, and state control of alcohol sales—have had an impact on underage drinking and driving fatal crashes using annual state-level data, and compared states with strong laws to those with weak laws to examine their effect on beer consumption and fatal crash ratios.

Methods: Using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we calculated the ratio of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes as our key outcome measure. We used structural equation modeling to evaluate the three MLDA-21 laws. We controlled for covariates known to impact fatal crashes including: 17 additional MLDA-21 laws; administrative license revocation; blood alcohol concentration limits of.08 and.10 for driving; seat belt laws; sobriety checkpoint frequency; unemployment rates; and vehicle miles traveled. Outcome variables, in addition to the fatal crash ratios of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 included state per capita beer consumption.

Results: Dram shop liability laws were associated with a 2.4% total effect decrease (direct effects: β =.019, p =.018). Similarly, RBS training laws were associated with a 3.6% total effect decrease (direct effect: β =.048, p =.001) in the ratio of drinking to nondrinking drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes. There was a significant relationship between dram shop liability law strength and per capita beer consumption, F (4, 1528) = 24.32, p <.001, partial η² =.016, showing states with strong dram shop liability laws (Mean (M) = 1.276) averaging significantly lower per capita beer consumption than states with weak laws (M = 1.340).

Conclusions: Dram shop liability laws and RBS laws were both associated with significantly reduced per capita beer consumption and fatal crash ratios. In practical terms, this means that dram shop liability laws are currently associated with saving an estimated 64 lives in the 45 jurisdictions that currently have the law. If the remaining 6 states adopted the dram shop law, an additional 9 lives could potentially be saved annually. Similarly, RBS training laws are associated with saving an estimated 83 lives in the 37 jurisdictions that currently have the laws. If the remaining 14 states adopted these RBS training laws, we estimate that an additional 28 lives could potentially be saved.     

沉积物中不同浓度多壁碳纳米管对Cd和BDE-47生态毒性的影响

随着碳纳米管的广泛应用,其将不可避免地进入环境中.由于其具有极好的吸附亲和力和吸附容量,碳纳米管可以充当环境中持久性有毒污染物的载体,从而改变共存污染物的生物有效性和生态毒性.为评价淡水沉积物中不同多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)对Cd和BDE-47生态毒性的影响,采用沉积物慢性生物测试研究了不同浓度MWCNTs存在下Cd和BDE-47对铜锈环棱螺肝胰脏抗氧化防御系统关键成分超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)与Ⅱ相解毒反应的关键酶谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶(GST)以及脂质过氧化损伤指标丙二醛(MDA)的影响.结果表明,沉积物中低浓度MWCNTs(0.5 mg·g~(-1))增强Cd对铜锈环棱螺的氧化胁迫,中、高浓度(5、50 mg·g~(-1))MWCNTs引起Cd对铜锈环棱螺的氧化损伤,MWCNTs的存在显著增强了沉积物中Cd对铜锈环棱螺的毒性,而且具有浓度-效应关系;低浓度MWCNTs不影响BDE-47对铜锈环棱螺的毒性,中、高浓度MWCNTs显著降低BDE-47的毒性,同样具有明显的浓度-效应关系.因此,在评价MWCNTs的潜在环境风险时,不仅考虑MWCNTs自身的毒性,还应当考虑MWCNTs的浓度、共存污染物的种类和MWCNTs与共存污染物之间的相互作用.     

气相色谱法测定环境空气中异丙醇研究

建立了用气相色谱法测定环境空气中异丙醇的方法。环境空气中异丙醇以蒸馏水吸收,用(DB-624)弹性石英毛细管柱分离,直接进样分析,氢火焰离子化检测器检测。本方法以时间定性,峰面积定量,对实际样品进行分析,其异丙醇加标回收率为94.9%~104.5%,当采样体积为40 L,异丙醇最低检出质量浓度为0.05mg/m3。本方法前处理简便,分离度好干扰少,分析灵敏度高,不使用有机试剂以减少环境污染,满足环境分析要求。     

AJIC工艺处理木薯加工废水研究

采用AJIC工艺对木薯淀粉、变性淀粉、木薯酒精生产废水进行综合处理。结果表明:COD、BOD5和SS的去除率均高达99%,进水水质指标及水量处理后的废水水质可达到《农田灌溉水质标准》(GB 5084-2005)水作标准,符合国控重点污染源污染减排要求。此外,该工艺还同时实现对木薯废渣和污泥进行处理,可生产沼气595.2万立方米/年,有机肥400吨/年,实现直接经济效益422.9万元/年,具有较高的经济、环境和社会效益。     

DME简化反应模型及其在HCCI燃烧分析中的应用研究

提出了一个可应用于HCCI发动机工作过程研究的DME化学反应动力学简化模型,该模型由28种组分、38个基元反应组成,包括3个子模型,即低温反应和负温度系数区子模型、高温裂解和高温氧化子模型以及甲酸生成过程子模型.通过算例对比分析,该DME简化模型能正确揭示DME燃烧过程主要生成物组分的变化规律,能准确计算DME燃烧过程低温和高温阶段的放热特征时刻,其计算结果与详细机理计算结果吻合.相对于详细机理,简化模型节省了计算时间,为实现化学反应动力学与CFD多维模型耦合的燃烧计算提供了一个可行而有效的途径.     

C/N比对嗜酸细菌X-29产氢能力及其酶活性的影响

C/N比影响细菌的物质和能量代谢,为了提高产氢细菌的产氢效能,通过间歇产氢实验和酶活性分析方法,分析了在不同C/N比下嗜酸产氢细菌X-29的产氢能力以及氢化酶和乙醇脱氢酶的活性表达情况.研究结果表明,C/N比对产氢细菌的代谢及其相关酶的表达有显著的影响.虽然在不同C/N比下单位生物量的液相末端发酵产物差异不大,但是产氢能力存在显著的差异,当C/N比为14时产氢细菌X-29具有最大累积产氢量2 210.9mL/g.在不同C/N比下氢化酶的表达活性不同,氢化酶活性随着发酵的进行达到高峰后迅速降低,氢化酶的表达周期较短.乙醇脱氢酶活性随着代谢进程逐渐升高后而趋于平稳,不同C/N比时表达活性差异较小,表达周期较长.在C/N比为14时,氢化酶和乙醇脱氢酶的活性最高,分别为2.8μmol·(min·mg)^-1和33.2μmol·(min·mg)^-1.