This report contains the proceedings of the 13th Annual Alcohol Interlock Symposium, hosted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), an independent, charitable road safety research institute based in Ottawa Canada, in partnership with the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi). More than 130 participants representing 21 countries participated in this event. Countries in attendance included: * Australia (Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory), New Zealand * Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, The Netherlands, United Kingdom * Canada (ON), United States (CO, HI, MD, MN, OH, OK, TX, VA) * Japan, Russia * South Africa The theme of the event was “Alcohol Interlocks as a Traffic Management Tool”, in order to acknowledge the contribution of both commercial and offender interlock programs. Given the European focus of the Symposium, this theme poignantly emphasized the fact that interlocks are versatile and not limited to usage with offenders. Devices can effectively be used in a pro-active approach to manage traffic safety among company fleets, taxis, school buses and government-owned vehicles as was evident from presentations at the Symposium. This approach is essentially different from the approach of offender programs in that the goal is not necessarily to rectify a drink driving problem. Rather, the goal is to increase the quality of services by showing commitment to safety, and, as such, instilling confidence among, and showing leadership toward customers, clients and the public alike. Hence, a key objective of the event was to draw upon lessons learned with regard to offender-based and commercial programs, and to broaden understanding of alcohol interlocks as a flexible road safety tool in different environments. There has been much progress in the field of alcohol interlocks since the 2011 Symposium. Some of the new developments and advances that have transpired are briefly described below. First, several new countries, including Greece, Columbia, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, have either expressed interest in the use of interlocks to better improve traffic safety and/or have already begun to use interlocks. There has been considerable growth in the number of alcohol interlocks installed in European countries in commercial markets. In addition, we are also seeing more European countries also becoming involved the development of offender-based programs. Efforts to strengthen technology have also continued with the CENELEC committee issuing for comment new draft test methods and performance standards for offender programs as well as for devices for general preventative use. The European Transport Safety Council has shown tremendous leadership, and delivered a number of seminars in jurisdictions across the EU to emphasize the importance of interlocks as an important road safety tool. Seminars have been held in several countries including Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The goal of these seminars has been to strengthen awareness of alcohol interlocks and encourage international cooperation in the field. Also of note, a new European Forum on Interlocks has been established to bring together program administrators from a number of countries to discuss common issues and promote leadership on this issue. In addition, several countries have made significant progress to strengthen their programs include the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The growing interest in interlocks is perhaps best evidenced by the number of European jurisdictions that have implemented both commercial and offender-based applications, including Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. A particularly noteworthy event is that, for the first time, the Norwegian Parliament hosted an international alcohol interlock seminar that included both leading international experts as well as representatives of important government and non-government organizations in Norway. The outcomes of this event were of interest to many stakeholders around the world. Alcohol interlocks also continued to be a focus of research in Europe. From Germany, new research on the cost-benefits of interlocks from an offender perspective has been published, and a long-term experimental study that has been proposed is described in these proceedings. Similarly in Finland, new research has been published on the adoption of alcohol interlocks and its effects in professional transport. A second study has investigated the effects of alcohol interlocks on drink driving offenders. Looking Westward, in Canada, there was continued growth in the use of interlocks, most notably in British Columbia and Alberta with the inclusion of first offenders in these programs. Nova Scotia is continuing its outcome evaluation of its unique interlock program, in which treatment is a major component, and the results of this evaluation are expected in 2014. Also, in Canada, follow up research has been completed to increase knowledge about the performance of offenders while on the interlock device in relation to a variety of program features. This work was funded by Lifesafer in partnership with the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and published in late 2013. In the United States the number of installed interlocks grew approximately 14% between June 2011 and June 2012, increasing from 243,000 up to almost 279,000. It was also anticipated that this rate of growth would continue with the passage of MAP 21 — the new Federal Transportation Bill which removed all restrictions on interlocks as a sanction for convicted drunk drivers and offers grants to states that pass and enforce all-offender interlock laws. This incentive-based approach is sure to have very positive effects. Another important development related to a new set of technical devices standards were published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (or NHTSA) in May 2013 and are available on their website. Of importance, in the US program administrators formed a national association, with funding from NHTSA and an overview of its activities is included in these proceedings. A published case study of interlock programs in several jurisdictions was also released. Funding was also provided by NHTSA to update TIRF’s Alcohol Interlock Curriculum for Practitioners, and expand it to include four new modules including one on certification, calibration and testing, one on jurisdictional reciprocity, and one on program evaluation. Regrettably, in North American markets, there is yet to be interest in the development of alcohol interlock programs for commercial drivers; despite all of the success and growth that Europe has demonstrated with these types of programs. Perhaps focusing a spotlight on some the diverse commercial applications that have been established, and their respective outcomes, can help stimulate increased interest in these programs among North American jurisdictions. Looking South, in Australia a National Policy Group was formed to encourage greater consistency in programs across Australia. Installations have grown with an estimated 10,000 interlocks installed as a result of some 11,000 drink drive convictions each year. A number of important issues, that posed considerable challenges on other continents, such as jurisdictional reciprocity and offender monitoring, are starting to be addressed in some part of th world. Their efforts can provide a source of inspiration as to what can be achieved with collaboration and cooperation, As part of these proceedings, representatives of Australia shared the knowledge they have gained. Of particular interest, in Victoria, was new community corrections orders legislation has was implemented. It required the use of alcohol interlocks for a larger group of offenders that included those convicted of domestic violence and other non-driving related offences. This legislation was unique and expected to dramatically increase the number of interlock installations in this state. The Australian Capital Territory has also developed a new interlock program, as has Tasmania, and neighbouring New Zealand. Moving east, in Japan a major bus company started to install alcohol interlocks as an advanced safety device. There was also growing interest in Russia about the diverse ways in which alcohol interlocks can improve traffic safety. At the same time, although there has been much progress that has been achieved as evidenced by the sheer number of jurisdictions using interlocks, the number of applications that have been developed as well as the overall number of interlocks installed, it is equally important not to be complacent. There are still hurdles to overcome that require sustained efforts. Such is the case in Belgium, France, and Western Australia where legislative frameworks have been developed, but implementation has been slow to follow. In addition, despite considerable interest in Spain and Ireland, there has been limited political support. The reality is that the importance of strong political leadership and adherence to research findings cannot be underscored enough, and are much needed to encourage action. The outcomes of this symposia series have been important in this regard. Not only do these events spotlight progress, but also the priority issues that require attention and new research that is essential to inform our efforts. Issues that need to be addressed include ways to further encourage the implementation of optimal program features, effective strategies to monitor offenders, efficient ways to incorporate treatment efforts and integrate other proven interventions into the delivery of interlock programs, and to ensure that interlocks are affordable for drivers and offenders of varying socio-economic status. In sum, these proceedings contain a snapshot of the interlock field, the areas where significant progress has been achieved, and opportunities to make further gains in the future. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting