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Driving
Kinds of Driving Terms modified by Driving Selected AbstractsTHE NARROWING GENDER GAP IN ARRESTS: ASSESSING COMPETING EXPLANATIONS USING SELF-REPORT, TRAFFIC FATALITY, AND OFFICIAL DATA ON DRUNK DRIVING, 1980,2004,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2008JENNIFER SCHWARTZ We evaluate two alternative explanations for the converging gender gap in arrest,changes in women's behavior versus changes in mechanisms of social control. Using the offense of drunk driving and three methodologically diverse data sets, we explore trends in the DUI gender gap. We probe for change across various age groups and across measures tapping DUI prevalence and chronicity. Augmented Dickey-Fuller time-series techniques are used to assess changes in the gender gap and levels of drunk driving from 1980 to 2004. Analyses show women of all ages making arrest gains on men,a converging gender gap. In contrast, self-report and traffic data indicate little or no systematic change in the DUI gender gap. Findings support the conclusion that mechanisms of social control have shifted to target female offending patterns disproportionately. Little support exists for the contention that increased strain and liberalized gender roles have altered the gender gap or female drunk-driving patterns. [source] American Beverage Licensees attack Mothers Against Drunk DrivingADDICTION, Issue 10 2005TRACI L. TOOMEY No abstract is available for this article. [source] Permanent and Transitory Driving Forces in the Asian-Pacific Stock MarketsFINANCIAL REVIEW, Issue 1 2002Ali F. Darrat This paper uses weekly data from November 1987 through May 1999 to examine whether U.S. or the Japan stock market (or both) is the main driving force behind major movements in eleven emerging Asian-Pacific stock markets. We find a robust cointegrating relation linking each of the emerging market with the two matured markets of the U.S. and Japan. The results also show that the U.S., rather than Japan, is the main permanent force driving the equilibrium relations across all Asian-Pacific markets. In contrast, the effect of the Japanese market on the Asian-Pacific region is only transitory. Therefore, strategic asset portfolios in the Asian-Pacific region should include Japanese stocks to diversify any country specific risks. As to U.S. investors, the persistent influence of the U.S. market may limit long-run diversification gains from Asian-Pacific stocks. [source] Different activation dynamics in multiple neural systems during simulated drivingHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 3 2002Vince D. Calhoun Abstract Driving is a complex behavior that recruits multiple cognitive elements. We report on an imaging study of simulated driving that reveals multiple neural systems, each of which have different activation dynamics. The neural correlates of driving behavior are identified with fMRI and their modulation with speed is investigated. We decompose the activation into interpretable pieces using a novel, generally applicable approach, based upon independent component analysis. Some regions turn on or off, others exhibit a gradual decay, and yet others turn on transiently when starting or stopping driving. Signal in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area often associated with error monitoring and inhibition, decreases exponentially with a rate proportional to driving speed, whereas decreases in frontoparietal regions, implicated in vigilance, correlate with speed. Increases in cerebellar and occipital areas, presumably related to complex visuomotor integration, are activated during driving but not associated with driving speed. Hum. Brain Mapping 16:158,167, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Australian implantable cardiac defibrillator recipients: Quality-of-life issuesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 2 2002Dianne Pelletier RN BSci(Nurs), DipEd, FRCNA, MasterSci(Soc) Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have become a well-established therapy for people experiencing potentially lethal dysrhythmias. Australian recipients' quality of life and adjustment to the device over time, device-related complications, shock and associated sensations, and potential sequelae have not been widely explored. This paper reports a longitudinal prospective study of Australian ICD recipients (n = 74) to determine their responses to the device, health-related quality of life over time and shock experiences. A questionnaire designed for the study and the Medical Outcomes Trust Quality of Life Instrument, the SF36, were completed by recipients prior to and at 3 and 12 months post insertion. Results show that quality of life decreased for general health and social function between 3 and 12 months. Nearly half (49%) of the recipients received shocks within 12 months and the majority (92%) of these experienced sequelae that could make driving hazardous. Half of the population (49%) were driving at 3 months and 69% by 12 months, including 67% of those who had been shocked. Twenty-seven percent were hospitalized with device-related complications. Driving, the shock experience and rehospitalization, the shock experience and driving behaviour are significant issues for those with the implanted device. While it is a limitation of the study that partners and carers were not included, these findings will also be of interest to them. [source] Hearing Impairment Affects Older People's Ability to Drive in the Presence of DistractersJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 6 2010Louise Hickson PhD OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of hearing impairment and distractibility on older people's driving ability, assessed under real-world conditions. DESIGN: Experimental cross-sectional study. SETTING: University laboratory setting and an on-road driving test. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seven community-living adults aged 62 to 88. Fifty-five percent had normal hearing, 26% had a mild hearing impairment, and 19% had a moderate or greater impairment. MEASUREMENTS: Hearing was assessed using objective impairment measures (pure-tone audiometry, speech perception testing) and a self-report measure (Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly). Driving was assessed on a closed road circuit under three conditions: no distracters, auditory distracters, and visual distracters. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between hearing impairment and distracters, such that people with moderate to severe hearing impairment had significantly poorer driving performance in the presence of distracters than those with normal or mild hearing impairment. CONCLUSION: Older adults with poor hearing have greater difficulty with driving in the presence of distracters than older adults with good hearing. [source] Development and Evaluation of a Measure of Dangerous, Aggressive, Negative Emotional, and Risky Driving,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Chris S. Dula The Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) was created to measure drivers' self-reported likelihood to drive dangerously. Each DDDI scale (DDDI Total, Aggressive Driving, Negative Emotional Driving, and Risky Driving scales) had strong internal reliability and there was also evidence for the construct validity of the scales. The DDDI was used to examine the relation between dangerous and aggressive driving and dispositional aggression and anger among 119 college students. Males reported significantly more aggressive, risky, and angry driving than did females. Males and females reported similar levels of dangerous driving and negative emotions while driving. Dangerous driving was positively related to traffic citations and causing accidents. The DDDI will be useful as a research instrument to examine dangerous driving. [source] Driving towards an improved research and development cultureJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008MARY P. McNICHOLL BSc (Hons) Background, This study examined the research and development culture and capacity within one NHS Trust in Northern Ireland. Strengths and challenges were identified and opportunities for further research and development expansion were sought. Methods, This is a two-stage project incorporating a baseline survey (n = 379) followed by consultation with key stakeholders across the Trust (n = 11). Findings, In the survey, over half of the respondents (n = 194) stated they had participated in a research project and a significant number (n = 313) read health care journals. Identification of barriers to research resulted in findings similar to other published work. Staff responded positively about using research in practice (n = 328) and that practice should be influenced by research (n = 312). Nurse Managers indicated support for research and development activity. Conclusion, The study provides a starting point from which to develop a positive research and development culture within this Trust. Implications for nursing management, After establishing a baseline of research and development activity across a large acute Trust, the strengths and weaknesses of such activity were identified with a view to informing a strategy to develop this aspect of professional activity. A change in an organizational culture cannot be made without full support of both the clinicians and their managers. [source] Disruptions in Functional Network Connectivity During Alcohol Intoxicated DrivingALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2010Catherine I. Rzepecki-Smith Background:, Driving while under the influence of alcohol is a major public health problem whose neural basis is not well understood. In a recently published functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (Meda et al., 2009), our group identified 5, independent critical driving-associated brain circuits whose inter-regional connectivity was disrupted by alcohol intoxication. However, the functional connectivity between these circuits has not yet been explored in order to determine how these networks communicate with each other during sober and alcohol-intoxicated states. Methods:, In the current study, we explored such differences in connections between the above brain circuits and driving behavior, under the influence of alcohol versus placebo. Forty social drinkers who drove regularly underwent fMRI scans during virtual reality driving simulations following 2 alcohol doses, placebo and an individualized dose producing blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.10%. Results:, At the active dose, we found specific disruptions of functional network connectivity between the frontal-temporal-basal ganglia and the cerebellar circuits. The temporal connectivity between these 2 circuits was found to be less correlated (p < 0.05) when driving under the influence of alcohol. This disconnection was also associated with an abnormal driving behavior (unstable motor vehicle steering). Conclusions:, Connections between frontal-temporal-basal ganglia and cerebellum have recently been explored; these may be responsible in part for maintaining normal motor behavior by integrating their overlapping motor control functions. These connections appear to be disrupted by alcohol intoxication, in turn associated with an explicit type of impaired driving behavior. [source] Effects of Alcohol on Performance on a Distraction Task During Simulated DrivingALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009Allyssa J. Allen Background:, Prior studies report that accidents involving intoxicated drivers are more likely to occur during performance of secondary tasks. We studied this phenomenon, using a dual-task paradigm, involving performance of a visual oddball (VO) task while driving in an alcohol challenge paradigm. Previous functional MRI (fMRI) studies of the VO task have shown activation in the anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Thus, we predicted dose-dependent decreases in activation of these areas during VO performance. Methods:, Forty healthy social drinkers were administered 3 different doses of alcohol, individually tailored to their gender and weight. Participants performed a VO task while operating a virtual reality driving simulator in a 3T fMRI scanner. Results:, Analysis showed a dose-dependent linear decrease in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent activation during task performance, primarily in hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal areas, with the least activation occurring during the high dose. Behavioral analysis showed a dose-dependent linear increase in reaction time, with no effects associated with either correct hits or false alarms. In all dose conditions, driving speed decreased significantly after a VO stimulus. However, at the high dose this decrease was significantly less. Passenger-side line crossings significantly increased at the high dose. Conclusions:, These results suggest that driving impairment during secondary task performance may be associated with alcohol-related effects on the above brain regions, which are involved with attentional processing/decision-making. Drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations may be less able to orient or detect novel or sudden stimuli during driving. [source] Highway driving performance and cognitive functioning the morning after bedtime and middle-of-the-night use of gaboxadol, zopiclone and zolpidemJOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009TIM R. M. LEUFKENS Summary Gaboxadol is a selective extrasynaptic GABAA receptor agonist previously in development for the treatment of insomnia. Due to its short half-life (1.5,2 h) it is expected to be free from residual effects the next morning. The present study assessed the residual effects of evening and middle-of-the-night administration of 15 mg of gaboxadol on cognitive, psychomotor and driving performance. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers entered the study with 25 (12 women; mean age 31.4 years) completing a double-blind, placebo-controlled, active-referenced five-way cross-over study. Each treatment night subjects ingested one capsule at 23:00 hours and one at 04:00 hours. Treatments were placebo at both times, 15 mg gaboxadol or 7.5 mg zopiclone followed by placebo, and placebo followed by 15 mg gaboxadol or 10 mg zolpidem. Effects on cognition and psychomotor performance were assessed between 07:30 and 08:30 hours and on driving between 09:00 and 10:00 hours. Driving, as measured by standard deviation of lateral position in an on-the-road driving test, was almost significantly (P < 0.07) impaired after evening administration of gaboxadol for the all-subjects-completed set (n = 25) but significantly (P < 0.05) in the full analysis set (n = 28). Effects of all other active treatments on driving were significant. Evening administration of gaboxadol had minor effects on divided attention only, whereas middle-of-the-night administration impaired performance significantly in all tests except memory. Zolpidem and zopiclone impaired performance significantly in every test except tracking after zopiclone; 15 mg of gaboxadol can produce minor residual effects on driving after evening administration. Administration later at night is associated with moderately impairing residual effects on driving and psychomotor performance but not on memory. [source] Dementia and Driving: Autonomy Versus SafetyJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 10 2005Article first published online: 23 SEP 200, Charlene Hoffman Snyder MSN, NP-BC Purpose This article reviews the effects of various types of dementia on driving skills, the available assessment measures, legal considerations, and the important role played by the nurse practitioner (NP) in the process of recommending driving cessation. It provides strategies and resources that may offer guidance to NPs who are attempting to balance the continued independence of patients with dementia, as represented by driving, with the safety not only of such patients but also of the public at large. Data sources A review of the biomedical literature, resources available on the World Wide Web, and illustrative case studies were used. Conclusions The diagnosis of dementia alone is often insufficient to determine driver competence because the topographic losses of dementia are complex. Recognizing when cessation should occur is made more difficult because objective assessment tools do not exist to predict impaired driving skills. Recommending driving cessation at the appropriate time can be a challenge for NPs, who must balance such a significant impact on the driver's autonomy with concerns about public safety if the patient continues to drive despite progressive impairment. Implications for practice The progressive loss of cognitive abilities in dementia presents a series of ongoing challenges for the patient throughout the disease continuum. Unfortunately, the recommendation to stop driving can present one of the more immediate issues confronting the patient, the family, and the healthcare provider. Failure to assess diminished driving skill can lead either to premature or to delayed driving cessation. Either outcome can have adverse effects on the patient, the patient's family, and public safety. [source] International Regulations for Automobile Driving and EpilepsyJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2000Winnie W. Ooi Background: Many patients with epilepsy travel abroad and drive automobiles with the assumption that policies, rules, and regulations on epilepsy and driving are similar to those of their home countries. This paper investigates the driving restrictions and other pertinent information on this issue in foreign countries. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 231 neurologists (chosen from American neurological and epilepsy societies) from 84 countries and to 230 official (embassies and consulates) representatives of 134 countries asking for the local rules and regulations and their comments on driving and epilepsy. Results: One hundred and sixty-six responses were received from 96 of 134 (72%) countries. One hundred and six neurologists (of 231 queried [46%]) responded. In 16 countries, persons with epilepsy are not permitted to drive. In the remaining countries, these patients must have a seizure-free period of 6 to 36 months. This period varies according to the type of seizure. In five countries, physicians must report the names of these patients to their local authorities. In many countries, the rules and regulations are being reevaluated and changed. Conclusions: Patients with epilepsy who plan to drive overseas are advised to contact local embassies and consulates, well before their trips (and keep records of the communications) to obtain the latest information on the rules and regulations governing the driving of automobiles in those countries. [source] Driving forward sustainable development agendas in AfricaNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2008Ousmane Laye No abstract is available for this article. [source] Blind Apexes and Scholarly Vision: Mark Twain Studies and The Art of HighPerformance Driving Or The Road Fast TraveledTHE MARK TWAIN ANNUAL, Issue 1 2008MICHAEL J. KISKIS First page of article [source] Development of a Closed Air Loop Electropneumatic Actuator for Driving a Pneumatic Blood PumpARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 8 2009Gi Seok Jeong Abstract In this study, we developed a small pneumatic actuator that can be used as an extracorporeal biventricular assist device. It incorporated a bellows-transforming mechanism to generate blood-pumping pressure. The cylindrical unit is 88 ± 0.1 mm high, has a diameter of 150 ± 0.1 mm, and weighs 2.4 ± 0.01 kg. In vitro, maximal outflow at the highest pumping rate (PR) exceeded 8 L/min when two 55 mL blood sacs were used under an afterload pressure of 100 mm Hg. At a pumping rate of 100 beats per minute (bpm), maximal hydraulic efficiency was 9.34% when the unit supported a single ventricle and 13.8% when it supported both ventricles. Moreover, pneumatic efficiencies of the actuator were 17.3% and 33.1% for LVAD and BVAD applications, respectively. The energy equivalent pressure was 62.78,208.10 mm Hg at a PR of 60,100 bpm, and the maximal value of dP/dt during systole was 1269 mm Hg/s at a PR of 60 bpm and 979 mm Hg/s at a PR of 100 bpm. When the unit was applied to 15 calves, it stably pumped 3,4 L/min of blood at 60 bpm, and no mechanical malfunction was experienced over 125 days of operation. We conclude that the presently developed pneumatic actuator can be utilized as an extracorporeal biventricular assist device. [source] Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Position Statement Driving and DementiaAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 3 2010Article first published online: 2 SEP 2010 First page of article [source] Driving and dementia: a prospective audit of clients referred to an aged care assessment teamAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 4 2003Robert Bunt Objective: Many people with dementia or cognitive Impairment continue to drive. Given Australia's ageing population, this raises safety concerns for the driver in the community. This paper presents data collected by the NS W Central Coast Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), outlining the extent of the problem on the Central Coast and offers some suggestions about dealing with this issue. Method: A prospective audit of clients referred to Central Coast ACAT over a seven month period. Data describing the clients' cognitive state and also their driving habits were collected during routine ACAT assessments. Results: 1203 people were referred to ACAT during the study period. 100 (8%) of these were driving and 34% of those driving had some form of cognitive impairment. In some cases the impairment was quite severe. Most of these drivers were male. In a majority of the cases, concerns were expressed by someone familiar with the person, regarding their capacity to drive safely. Conclusion: The results support findings from other studies, which suggest there is a small but significant number of elderly people with cognitive impairment who are still driving. We propose that a safety first policy should be adopted and where there is doubt about the persons ability to drive safely, an Occupationul Therapy driving test in conjunction with a detailed cognitive assessment needs to be performed. [source] Driving on liquid sunshine , the Brazilian biofuel experience: a policy driven analysisBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2009Clovis Zapata Abstract This paper analyses Brazil's experience with biofuels, focusing on the central role of the federal government as the main force driving the implementation of alternative locally produced ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and biodiesel. The pioneering, large scale ethanol programme that started over 30 years ago can be considered the most successful experience with the use of biofuels to date, as the government was able to rapidly implement the use of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) as a substitute for petrol in the 1970s and 1980s. The work contributes to the general discussion of sustainable and renewable energy sources and sets out the key policy mechanisms used. The paper also innovatively looks at the second large governmental intervention in the renewable fuels market , the biodiesel programme. In addition to the contribution to the debate surrounding command-and-control measures and economic incentive instruments, the paper analyses how lessons learned from the ethanol experiment were taken into consideration in the design and implementation of the biodiesel mandate, including social and environmental facets. It emphasizes the uniqueness of producing sugarcane ethanol in the Brazilian context and how attempts to carry out similar fast growing biofuels programmes may not be possible in other parts of the world. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] THE NARROWING GENDER GAP IN ARRESTS: ASSESSING COMPETING EXPLANATIONS USING SELF-REPORT, TRAFFIC FATALITY, AND OFFICIAL DATA ON DRUNK DRIVING, 1980,2004,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2008JENNIFER SCHWARTZ We evaluate two alternative explanations for the converging gender gap in arrest,changes in women's behavior versus changes in mechanisms of social control. Using the offense of drunk driving and three methodologically diverse data sets, we explore trends in the DUI gender gap. We probe for change across various age groups and across measures tapping DUI prevalence and chronicity. Augmented Dickey-Fuller time-series techniques are used to assess changes in the gender gap and levels of drunk driving from 1980 to 2004. Analyses show women of all ages making arrest gains on men,a converging gender gap. In contrast, self-report and traffic data indicate little or no systematic change in the DUI gender gap. Findings support the conclusion that mechanisms of social control have shifted to target female offending patterns disproportionately. Little support exists for the contention that increased strain and liberalized gender roles have altered the gender gap or female drunk-driving patterns. [source] INTEGRATING CELERITY, IMPULSIVITY, AND EXTRALEGAL SANCTION THREATS INTO A MODEL OF GENERAL DETERRENCE: THEORY AND EVIDENCE,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2001DANIEL S. NAGIN We propose a model that integrates the extralegal consequences from conviction and impulsivity into the traditional deterrence framework. The model was tested with 252 college students, who completed a survey concerning drinking and driving. Key findings include the following: (1) Although variation in sanction certainty and severity predicted offending, variation in celerity did not; (2) the extralegal consequences from conviction appear to be at least as great a deterrent as the legal consequences; (3) the influence of sanction severity diminished with an individual's "present-orientation"; and (4) the certainty of punishment was far more robust a deterrent to offending than was the severity of punishment. [source] Regulation of the Neurofibromatosis 2 gene promoter expression during embryonic developmentDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 10 2006Elena M. Akhmametyeva Abstract Mutations in the Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) gene are associated with predisposition to vestibular schwannomas, spinal schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas. Presently, how NF2 is expressed during embryonic development and in the tissues affected by neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) has not been well defined. To examine NF2 expression in vivo, we generated transgenic mice carrying a 2.4-kb NF2 promoter driving ,-galactosidase (,-gal) with a nuclear localization signal. Whole-mount embryo staining revealed that the NF2 promoter directed ,-gal expression as early as embryonic day E5.5. Strong expression was detected at E6.5 in the embryonic ectoderm containing many mitotic cells. ,-gal staining was also found in parts of embryonic endoderm and mesoderm. The ,-gal staining pattern in the embryonic tissues was corroborated by in situ hybridization analysis of endogenous Nf2 RNA expression. Importantly, we observed strong NF2 promoter activity in the developing brain and in sites containing migrating cells including the neural tube closure, branchial arches, dorsal aorta, and paraaortic splanchnopleura. Furthermore, we noted a transient change of NF2 promoter activity during neural crest cell migration. While little ,-gal activity was detected in premigratory neural crest cells at the dorsal ridge region of the neural fold, significant activity was seen in the neural crest cells already migrating away from the dorsal neural tube. In addition, we detected considerable NF2 promoter activity in various NF2-affected tissues such as acoustic ganglion, trigeminal ganglion, spinal ganglia, optic chiasma, the ependymal cell-containing tela choroidea, and the pigmented epithelium of the retina. The NF2 promoter expression pattern during embryogenesis suggests a specific regulation of the NF2 gene during neural crest cell migration and further supports the role of merlin in cell adhesion, motility, and proliferation during development. Developmental Dynamics 235:2771,2785, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Long-term review of driving potential following bilateral panretinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathyDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009S. A. Vernon Abstract Aim To determine the necessity for repeated Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) visual field testing in people with diabetes who have had bilateral panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted of driving history in a cohort of people with diabetes who had been treated with bilateral PRP for proliferative retinopathy between 1988 and 1990. In addition, all similarly eligible subjects attending the diabetic retinal review clinic over a 12-month period who had had laser between 1991 and 2000 were questioned as to their driving status. Results Forty-five surviving patients from the 1988,1990 cohort were eligible and 25 returned the questionnaire (55%). Eight had never driven and 15 (13 with Type 1 diabetes) still held a valid licence, having passed the DVLA field test on a number of occasions. Neither of the two patients who had stopped driving reported failing the DVLA field test as the reason for stopping. All 12 of the patients directly questioned in the clinic were still driving and had passed at least one repeat DVLA test. Conclusions People with Type 1 diabetes who have no further laser treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy can expect to retain their UK driving licence for at least 15 years following small-burn PRP, provided they maintain sufficient acuity. [source] Insulin-treated diabetes and driving in the UKDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2002G. Gill Abstract Diabetes, and particularly insulin-treated diabetes, has important implications for motor vehicle driving, largely because of its association with potential hypoglycaemia. For this reason, most countries operate some driving restrictions on insulin-treated diabetic patients, as well as systems of intermittent reassessment of hypoglycaemic risk. In the UK, regulations are operated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which is an agency of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). They are supported by an Expert Panel which advises the Secretary of State on diabetes-related issues relating to fitness to drive. The patient organization Diabetes UK is also concerned with diabetes and driving issues, largely from a position of lobbying policy-influencers and supporting individual cases. All parties involved with diabetes and driving issues recognize the need for more research on the subject, as the current literature is flawed in design, though no convincing excess of accidents amongst diabetic drivers has been conclusively demonstrated. Currently in the UK, Class 2 vehicles (large trucks and passenger vehicles) are barred to diabetic drivers on insulin. European law has recently extended this to so-called C1 (large vans and small lorries) and D1 (minibuses) vehicles, though the law has recently been revised to allow individual consideration for potential diabetic C1 drivers on insulin treatment. Diabetes and insulin-treated diabetes is an emotive and difficult issue, for which a stronger evidence base is urgently needed. [source] Responsible alcohol service: lessons from evaluations of server training and policing initiativesDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 3 2001TIM STOCKWELL Abstract Responsible alcohol service programmes have evolved in many countries alongside a general increase in the availability of alcohol and a greater focus on the prevention of alcohol-related road crashes. They also recognize the reality that a great deal of high-risk drinking and preventable harm occurs in and around licensed premises or as drinkers make their way home. Early US efficacy studies of programmes which trained managers and barstaff to limit customers' levels of intoxication and prevent drink driving showed promise. Studies of effectiveness of these programmes in the wider community, and in the absence of the enforcement of liquor laws, found little benefit. The data will be interpreted as suggesting that, in reality, skills deficits in the serving of alcohol are not a significant problem compared with the motivational issue for a commercial operation of abiding by laws that are rarely enforced and which are perceived as risking the goodwill of their best customers. Australian, UK and US experiences with liquor law enforcement by police will be discussed along with outcomes from the Australian invention of Alcohol Accords, informal agreements between police, licensees and local councils to trade responsibly. It will be concluded that the major task involved in lifting standards of service and preventing harm is to institutionalize legal and regulatory procedures which impact most on licensed premises. A number of strategies are suggested also for creating a political and social climate which supports the responsible service of alcohol and thereby supports the enactment and enforcement of appropriate liquor laws. [source] The effect of bidirectional flow on tidal channel planformsEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2004Sergio Fagherazzi Abstract Salt marsh tidal channels are highly sinuous. For this project, ,eld surveys and aerial photographs were used to characterize the planform of tidal channels at China Camp Marsh in the San Francisco Bay, California. To model the planform evolution, we assume that the topographic curvature of the channel centreline is a key element driving meander migration. Extraction of curvature data from a planimetric survey, however, presents certain problems because simple calculations based on equally distanced points on the channel axis produce numerical noise that pollutes the ,nal curvature data. We found that a spline interpolation and a polynomial ,t to the survey data provided us with a robust means of calculating channel curvature. The curvature calculations, combined with data from numerous cross-sections along the tidal channel, were used to parameterize a computer model. With this model, based on recent theoretical work, the relationship between planform shape and meander migration as well as the consequences of bidirectional ,ow on planform evolution have been investigated. Bank failure in vegetated salt marsh channels is characterized by slump blocks that persist in the channel for several years. It is therefore possible to identify reaches of active bank erosion and test model predictions. Our results suggest that the geometry and evolution of meanders at China Camp Marsh, California, re,ect the ebb-dominated regime. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Anti-drink driving reform in Britain, c. 1920,80ADDICTION, Issue 9 2010Bill Luckin ABSTRACT Aim The goal of this report is to provide a framework for understanding and interpreting political, scientific and cultural attitudes towards drink driving in 20th-century Britain. Exploring the inherent conservatism of successive governments, Members of Parliament (MPs) and the public towards the issue during the interwar years, the contribution seeks to explain the shift from legislative paralysis to the introduction of the breathalyser in 1967. Design Based on governmental, parliamentary and administrative records, the report follows a mainly narrative route. It places particular emphasis on connections between post-war extra-parliamentary and parliamentary movements for reform. Setting The paper follows a linear path from the 1920s to the 1970s. Britain lies at the heart of the story but comparisons are made with nations,particularly the Scandinavian states,which took radical steps to prosecute drinking and dangerous drivers at an early date. Findings The report underlines the vital post-war role played by Graham Page, leading parliamentary spokesman for the Pedestrians' Association; the centrality of the Drew Report (1959) into an ,activity resembling driving'; the pioneering Conservative efforts of Ernest Marples; and Barbara Castle's consolidating rather than radically innovative activities between 1964 and 1967. Conclusion Both before and after the Second World War politicians from both major parties gave ground repeatedly to major motoring organizations. With the ever-escalating growth of mass motorization in the 1950s, both Conservative and Labour governments agonized over gridlock and ,murder on the roads'. Barbara Castle finally took decisive action against drink drivers, but the ground had been prepared by Graham Page and Ernest Marples. [source] US state alcohol sales compared to survey data, 1993,2006ADDICTION, Issue 9 2010David E. Nelson ABSTRACT Aims Assess long-term trends of the correlation between alcohol sales data and survey data. Design Analyses of state alcohol consumption data from the US Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System based on sales, tax receipts or alcohol shipments. Cross-sectional, state annual estimates of alcohol-related measures for adults from the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System using telephone surveys. Setting United States. Participants State alcohol tax authorities, alcohol vendors, alcohol industry (sales data) and randomly selected adults aged , 18 years 1993,2006 (survey data). Measurements State-level per capita annual alcohol consumption estimates from sales data. Self-reported alcohol consumption, current drinking, heavy drinking, binge drinking and alcohol-impaired driving from surveys. Correlation coefficients were calculated using linear regression models. Findings State survey estimates of consumption accounted for a median of 22% to 32% of state sales data across years. Nevertheless, state consumption estimates from both sources were strongly correlated with annual r-values ranging from 0.55,0.71. State sales data had moderate-to-strong correlations with survey estimates of current drinking, heavy drinking and binge drinking (range of r-values across years: 0.57,0.65; 0.33,0.70 and 0.45,0.61, respectively), but a weaker correlation with alcohol-impaired driving (range of r-values: 0.24,0.56). There were no trends in the magnitude of correlation coefficients. Conclusions Although state surveys substantially underestimated alcohol consumption, the consistency of the strength of the association between sales consumption and survey data for most alcohol measures suggest both data sources continue to provide valuable information. These findings support and extend the distribution of consumption model and single distribution theory, suggesting that both sales and survey data are useful for monitoring population changes in alcohol use. [source] Requiring suspended drunk drivers to install alcohol interlocks to reinstate their licenses: effective?ADDICTION, Issue 8 2010Robert B. Voas ABSTRACT Aims To evaluate a new method being used by some states for motivating interlock installation by requiring it as a prerequisite to reinstatement of the driver's license. Design The driving records of Florida DWI offenders convicted between July 2002 and June 2008 were analyzed to determine the proportion of offenders subject to the interlock requirement who installed interlocks. Setting Most driving-while-impaired (DWI) offenders succeed in avoiding state laws requiring the installation of a vehicle alcohol interlock. Participants A total of 82 318 Florida DWI offenders. Findings Due to long periods of complete suspension when no driving was permitted and the failure to complete all the requirements imposed by the court, only 21 377 of the 82 318 offenders studied qualified for reinstatement, but 93% of those who qualified did install interlocks to be reinstated. Conclusions Because of the lengthy license suspensions and other barriers that the offenders face in qualifying for reinstatement, it is not clear that requiring a period on the interlock as a prerequisite to reinstating will greatly increase the current installment rate. [source] Is 24/7 sobriety a good goal for repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenders?ADDICTION, Issue 4 2010JONATHAN P. CAULKINS No abstract is available for this article. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||