Study: Mandatory Alcohol Testing Cuts Risk of Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes
A study by scientists at Columbia University found that mandatory alcohol testing programs for commercial truck drivers may have contributed to a significant reduction in alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes
A study by scientists at Columbia University found that mandatory alcohol testing programs for commercial truck drivers may have contributed to a significant reduction in alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes.
The study, "Effectiveness of mandatory alcohol testing programs in reducing alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes," was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
"Mandatory alcohol testing programs for motor carrier drivers were implemented in the United States in 1995 and have not been adequately evaluated," wrote J.E. Brady and colleagues.
Using data from the federal government's Fatality Analysis Reporting System during 1982-2006, they assessed the effectiveness of mandatory alcohol testing programs in reducing alcohol involvement in fatal truck crashes.
The study sample consisted of 69,295 motor carrier drivers and 83,436 non-motor-carrier drivers who were involved in 66,138 fatal multivehicle crashes. Overall, 2.7 percent of the motor carrier drivers and 19.4 percent of the non-motor-carrier drivers had positive blood alcohol concentrations.
With adjustment for driver age, sex, history of driving while intoxicated, and survival status, implementation of the mandatory alcohol testing programs was found to be associated with a 23 percent reduced risk of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes by truck drivers.
More Safety & Compliance
More Trailer Data Through the Same Seven-Way [Video]
Can trucking’s standard seven-way connector handle more cameras and trailer data? Grote’s Adam Slade shows HDT how the company is using new technology with its 4See trailer system, not only to add a new backup camera but also to expand other capabilities — without adding another connection.
Read More →
PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data
PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.
Read More →
Fatal Crash Exposes Toll Plaza Risks
An NTSB investigation found that last-minute lane changes and large speed differences at an Ohio toll plaza created a hazard the truck driver couldn't avoid in time.
Read More →
When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders
English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.
Read More →
A Camera Isn't a Safety Program. Here's What Brokers Are Screening for Now
Footage alone may not be enough to pass broker vetting processes. Here's what counts as a defensible safety program now.
Read More →
Marijuana and Trucking’s Drug-Testing Dilemma
Marijuana is getting stronger, laws are changing, and drug tests still can’t reliably establish impairment. What does that mean for truck drivers and the fleets that employ them?
Read More →
PrePass, Kodiak Connect Driverless Trucks to Roadside Enforcement
The system will allow enforcement agencies to verify Enhanced Inspection information and decide whether Kodiak’s autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →
FMCSA Pauses Biennial-Update Enforcement Amid Motus Transition
Carriers whose updates were due on or after June 1 have more time, while FMCSA works to stabilize its new registration system and warns of phishing sites impersonating its new carrier registration system, Motus.
Read More →
ZF Expands Commercial Vehicle Push in North America
ZF is expanding its North American commercial-vehicle presence with new transmission applications, electrification, trailer technology and autonomous-driving systems.
Read More →