Stricter City Regulations on Alcohol Consumption, Licensing
Mean Fewer Traffic Fatalities

For Immediate Release

May 12, 2004

Contact: Linda Atkinson, Executive Director - (505) 881-1084

Rand Corporation Senior Natural Scientist Deborah Cohen will present the results of a national study on alcohol control strategies across 97 U.S. cities Thursday May 20 at 2:15 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Mountain View, 2020 Menaul Ave. NE in Albuquerque.

The presentation, titled "Alcohol, the Environment, and Individual Responsibility" is part of an afternoon seminar on "New Tools to Reduce DWI Death and Injury" sponsored by the DWI Resource Center and the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest.

Dr. Cohen, MD; MPH, has had extensive experience in the development of public health programs and policy research. Her main focus has been on the impact of physical and environmental factors on health and health behaviors. Her current studies are on the impact of the Los Angeles 1992 Civil Unrest on alcohol outlets and on how alcohol-marketing practices influence alcohol use and health outcomes.

"There are significant differences in how alcohol is regulated at the local level," says Cohen. "Laws, licensing policies and taxes vary, but so does enforcement of laws that otherwise might be similar. And there is a 12-fold variation in the rate of alcohol-related fatalities per capital between the largest US cities."

In order to gauge the effectiveness of alcohol control studies across cities, Cohen says her study looked at regulations and agency enforcement practices at the city level and how they correlated with the incidence of alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

Results from the study indicate that there were 17 policies closely associated with lower traffic death rates including restrictions on the accessibility of alcohol, licensure practices and disciplinary actions.

"Stricter regulations in these areas were associated with fewer deaths," she says. "This is just the kind of information that our policy makers here in New Mexico need in order to shape effective strategies at both the local and state level," says Linda Atkinson, Executive Director of the DWI Resource Center.

For more information on Cohen’s report or the afternoon program, call Linda Atkinson at (505) 881-1084. Dr. Cohen's presentation was video-taped and is available for purchase on the DWI Resource Center website. Her presentation is also available for download.

The DWI Resource Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 New Mexico organization formed to reduce the social and economic impact of DWI through public awareness, education, prevention programs and research. The Center also provides assistance to victims and serves as a central clearinghouse for information on DWI and victims' rights.