The association between alcohol restriction policies and vehicle-related mortality in Cali, Colombia, 1998-2008

Abstract

Aims: To determine whether the implementation of alcohol control policies was associated with changes in the incidence of road traffic deaths. Measures: Aggregated daily counts of road traffic deaths. Restrictive policies were compared with lax policies to estimate the effect of reducing hours of alcohol availability using multiple negative binomial regressions. Findings:There was a decreased risk of road traffic mortality in periods when moderately restrictive policies were in effect (IRR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97, p = 0.019). There was an even lower risk of road traffic deaths in periods when most restrictive policies were in effect (IRR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.85, p < 0.001). In motorcyclists, most restrictive (IRR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38-0.81, p = 0.002) and full restrictive policies (IRR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.94, p = 0.032) were associated with decreased risk of mortality. Conclusions:Our findings support more restrictive alcohol control policies to reduce road traffic mortality. Specifically, reducing the time of alcohol availability was associated with a decrease in road traffic death rates.

Multi‐level analysis of alcohol‐related injury, societal drinking pattern and alcohol control policy: emergency department data from 28 countries

“…Using an alcohol policy index developed specifically and tested to predict injury empirically in the international context , the IAPII was found to predict both self‐reported consumption prior to injury and causal attribution of injury to drinking, with the more restrictive the alcohol control policy in a country, the lower the rate of alcohol‐related injury. This supports prior research of the association of alcohol control policies and injury mortality .…”

Do alcohol pricing and availability policies have differential effects on sub-populations? A commentary

“…Controls on availability have been shown to be effective in reducing impaired driving. Both extending trading hours and lifting bans on Sunday alcohol trading led to increases in alcohol-related crashes and alcoholrelated crash fatalities Mena, Sanchez, Gutierrez, Puyana, and Suffoleto (2014) examined aggregated daily counts of road traffic deaths in Cali, Columbia, from 1998 to 2008. Various levels of restrictive policies with regard to hours of sale were assessed, and the risk of motor vehicle crashes was lowest when the most restrictive policies were in effect.…”

Comprehensive analysis of alcohol policies in the Latin America and the Caribbean

“…In Diadema, Brazil, a significant reduction in violence followed the implementation of a municipal law preventing alcohol sales after 11 pm, followed by a public information campaign [30] (Table 4). In Cali, Colombia, an increased risk of homicides was found in periods of less restrictive hours of alcohol sales policies (no sales after 4 am) compared with periods when there were no sales after 3 am [31,32]. A similar trend was seen in traffic death injuries in Lima, Peru, where restrictions on alcohol service hours (off-sales and sales in bars cut off at 11 pm, restaurants at midnight, with some later hours for nightclubs and for Friday and [35].…”