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. 2011 Dec;106(12):2124-31.
doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03521.x. Epub 2011 Aug 23.

Reducing the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for driving in developing countries: a time for change? Results and implications derived from a time-series analysis (2001-10) conducted in Brazil

Gabriel Andreuccetti  1 , Heraclito B Carvalho, Cheryl J Cherpitel, Yu Ye, Julio C Ponce, Tulio Kahn, Vilma Leyton
Affiliations

Reducing the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for driving in developing countries: a time for change? Results and implications derived from a time-series analysis (2001-10) conducted in Brazil

Gabriel Andreuccetti et al. Addiction. 2011 Dec.

Erratum in

  • Addiction. 2012 Jan;107(1):236

Abstract

Aims: In Brazil, a new law introduced in 2008 has lowered the blood alcohol concentration limit for drivers from 0.06 to 0.02, but the effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents remains uncertain. This study evaluated the effects of this enactment on road traffic injuries and fatalities.

Design: Time-series analysis using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling.

Setting: State and capital of São Paulo, Brazil.

Participants: A total of 1,471,087 non-fatal and 51,561 fatal road traffic accident cases in both regions.

Measurements: Monthly rates of traffic injuries and fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants from January 2001 to June 2010.

Findings: The new traffic law was responsible for significant reductions in traffic injury and fatality rates in both localities (P<0.05). A stronger effect was observed for traffic fatality (-7.2 and -16.0% in the average monthly rate in the State and capital, respectively) compared to traffic injury rates (-1.8 and -2.3% in the State and capital, respectively).

Conclusions: Lowering the blood alcohol concentration limit in Brazil had a greater impact on traffic fatalities than injuries, with a higher effect in the capital, where presumably the police enforcement was enhanced.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Kahn T works for the Public Security Office of Sao Paulo, which is responsible for the collection of data on traffic accidents in the State of Sao Paulo. Ponce JC is a forensic criminal expert involved in the investigation of crimes in the city of Sao Paulo. All the others authors are involved solely in academic research and declare no other conflict of interest. The corresponding author received a grant from CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, for developing his doctoral studies at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School. The sponsor has not participated in the study design or in any decision concerning the writing and submission of the manuscript for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in Brazilian law concerning blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drivers after the new traffic law implemented in June 2008.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trends in traffic injuries rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) in the State and capital of Sao Paulo covering the period from January 2001 to June 2010.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trends in traffic fatalities rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) in the State and capital of Sao Paulo covering the period from January 2001 to June 2010.
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Comment in

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