title: Effects of introducing an administrative .05% blood alcohol concentration limit on law enforcement patterns and alcohol-related collisions in Canada.
abstract: Except for Quebec, all Canadian provinces have introduced administrative laws to lower the permitted blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .05% or .04% for driving-or having the care of-a motor vehicle. Using linear mixed effects models for longitudinal data, this study evaluates the effect of administrative BAC laws on fatal alcohol related crashes and law enforcement patterns in Canada from 1987 to 2010. Results reveal a significant decrease of 3.7% (95% C.I.: 0.9-6.5%) in fatally injured drivers with a BAC level equal or greater than .05% following the introduction of these laws. Reductions were also observed for fatally injured drivers with BAC levels greater that .08% and .15%. The introduction of administrative BAC laws led neither to significant changes in the rate of driving while impaired (DWI) incidents reported by police officers nor in the probability of being charged for DWI under the Criminal Code.
authors.affiliation: School of Criminology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation (CIRRELT), Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: Etienne.blais@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Étienne
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Blais
authors.affiliation: Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation (CIRRELT), Montréal, Québec, Canada; HEC Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bellavance
authors.affiliation: Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation (CIRRELT), Montréal, Québec, Canada; HEC Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcil
authors.affiliation: The French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFSTTAR), France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carnis
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content
keywords: .05% BAC laws; Canada; Driving while impaired; Fatally injured drivers; Law enforcement; Longitudinal data