The geography of sobriety checkpoints and alcohol-impaired driving

Christopher N Morrison; Muhire Kwizera; Qixuan Chen; Cheneal Puljevic; Charles C Branas; Douglas J Wiebe; Corinne Peek-Asa; Kirsten M McGavin; Shellee J Franssen; Vy K Le; Michael Keating; Jason Ferris

doi:10.1111/add.15766

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The geography of sobriety checkpoints and alcohol-impaired driving

Journal article

Peer reviewed

The geography of sobriety checkpoints and alcohol-impaired driving

Christopher N Morrison, Muhire Kwizera, Qixuan Chen, Cheneal Puljevic, Charles C Branas, Douglas J Wiebe, Corinne Peek-Asa, Kirsten M McGavin, Shellee J Franssen, Vy K Le, …

Addiction (Abingdon, England), Vol.117(5), pp.1450-1457

12/02/2021

DOI: 10.1111/add.15766

PMCID: PMC9596227

PMID: 34859520

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Abstract

Sobriety checkpoints are an effective strategy to reduce alcohol-impaired driving, motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. The aim of this study was to identify the geographic extent over which individual sobriety checkpoints affect alcohol-impaired driving. Spatial ecological panel analysis using geolocated breath test data from the Queensland Police Service, Australia, for January 2012 to June 2018. Data were aggregated over 338 weeks within 528 Statistical Area level 2 (SA2) units (n = 178 464 SA2-weeks) and 84 Statistical Area level 3 (SA3) units (n = 28 392 SA3-weeks). SA2 units in Queensland contain a mean population of 8883.5 (SD = 55 018.3) and encompass 468.9 roadway kilometers (SD = 1490.0); SA3 units contain a mean population of 57 201.6 (SD = 29521.6) and encompass 2936.0 roadway kilometers (SD = 7025.0). Independent measures were the density of sobriety checkpoints conducted per 500 roadway kilometers within local and spatially adjacent space-time units. The dependent measure was the rate of tests that detected breath alcohol concentration (a proxy for blood alcohol concentration [BAC]) greater than the legal maximum value of 0.05% for fully licensed drivers in Queensland. Bayesian hierarchical spatial negative binomial models-related sobriety checkpoints to the rate of breath tests with BAC ≥ 0.05% within and between space-time units. One additional sobriety checkpoint conducted per 500 roadway kilometers was associated with 2.5% reduction in the rate of breath tests with BAC ≥ 0.05% within local SA2 units (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.975; 95% credibility interval (CrI): 0.973-0.978), and with 5.5% reduction in the rate of breath tests with BAC ≥ 0.05% within local SA3 units (IRR = 0.945; 95%CrI: 0.937-0.953). Associations were attenuated towards null in spatially adjacent units and in temporally lagged units (e.g. SA3-weeks; adjacent lagged 1 week: IRR = 0.969; 95%CrI: 0.937-1.003). Individual sobriety checkpoints appear to be associated with reductions in nearby alcohol-impaired driving. Relationships decay after approximately 1 week and beyond local areas containing approximately 60 000 residents and 3000 kilometers of roadway.

alcohol

checkpoint

sobriety

motor vehicle

crash

drunk driving

Details

Title: Subtitle: The geography of sobriety checkpoints and alcohol-impaired driving
Creators: Christopher N Morrison - Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Muhire Kwizera - Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Qixuan Chen - Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Cheneal Puljevic - School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
Charles C Branas - Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Douglas J Wiebe - Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Corinne Peek-Asa - University of Iowa College of Public Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Kirsten M McGavin - Research and Policy Development, Road Policing Command, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Shellee J Franssen - Research and Policy Development, Road Policing Command, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Vy K Le - Research and Policy Development, Road Policing Command, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Michael Keating - Research and Policy Development, Road Policing Command, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Jason Ferris - Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Addiction (Abingdon, England), Vol.117(5), pp.1450-1457
DOI: 10.1111/add.15766
PMID: 34859520
PMCID: PMC9596227
NLM abbreviation: Addiction
ISSN: 0965-2140
eISSN: 1360-0443
Grant note: NIAAA NIH HHS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/02/2021
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Nursing; Public Policy Center (Archive)
Record Identifier: 9984215143102771

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