Costs of alcohol-related crashes: New Zealand estimates and suggested measures for use internationally.
This paper presents policy-oriented measures of alcohol-related crash incidence and costs in New Zealand (N.Z.). Costs of crashes, where alcohol probably was a contributing factor were computed from official crash costs and police-reported crash/injury counts adjusted for under-reporting of crashes and of alcohol involvement. Alcohol-related crashes cost an estimated $1.2 billion in N.Z. in 1996. They equate to an estimated $0.75 per drink consumed, $17.80 per km driven above the legal limit of 0.08. and $1,100 per heavy drinker. People other than the drinkers, who caused the crashes, paid half the costs. An estimated one in 90 drunk-driving trips resulted in a crash (and often a drunk driving conviction) while one in 375 crash-free drunk driving trips also resulted in a drunk-driving conviction. Ten measures of alcohol-related crash incidence and costs are recommended for international use. They include number of alcohol-related deaths and injuries; innocent victims and children harmed in crashes caused by drinkers; annual costs and costs paid by people other than the drinker who caused the crash; crash costs per drink consumed, per heavy drinker, per kilometer driven drunk versus sober; probabilities of crash and of drunk-driving conviction.
Miller
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Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD 20705-3102, USA. miller@pire.org
Blewden
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D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000401:mortality; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality