I-94 drunken-driving effort nets arrests

Police in seven states made several arrests Friday and Saturday as part of a crackdown on drunken driving along 1,500 miles of Interstate 94, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.

Preliminary data shows seven arrests for having open bottles in vehicles, five arrests for drug violations, and three arrests on warrants.

There were four crashes involving injuries, NHTSA reported.

In addition, 23 citations were issued for not using seat belts or not having children in safety seats, and 164 tickets for aggressive driving, NHTSA reported.

Agencies from Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Montana took part in the effort, which started 8 p.m. Friday and ended 4 a.m. Saturday.

Source:

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/283962/group/News/

One alcoholic drink can triple the chances of car accident

A study has found that even a single alcoholic drink can triple the chances of a driver dying in a car accident, as it can increase a driver's blood-alcohol level by more than half the legal limit.

The British study, commissioned by the Government, has advised that legal limits for drinking and driving should be reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The New Zealand Government had last year proposed lowering the blood-alcohol limit from 80mg to 50mg, which is backed by health experts and is included in May's Law Commission report.

The study revealed that the drink-drive limit of 80mg increases the chances of a fatal crash by at least six times, and for those just over the limit, with 100mg blood alcohol level, the risk is 11 times higher.

The British medical regulator, Nice, said road accidents happen mostly with young people, as they are less experienced drivers, immature and have a lower tolerance to alcohol than older people.

Countries, which have lowered the blood-alcohol limit to 50mg, include France, Germany, Italy and Spain, with Estonia, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic having a zero limit.

When the 50mg limit was introduced in 15 countries in Europe it resulted in an 11.5 per cent drop in fatal drink-driving accidents involving 18 to 25-year-olds, the group at highest risk.

Source:

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/06/18/onealcoholic-drink-can-triple-chances-of-caraccident.html