
Safety 2010 Conference CMS

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Address *	Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455 - 2 Andar Sao Paulo/SP
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Oral Poster Workshop

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Introduction: The augmented risk of road traffic accidents when under the influence of alcohol is well documented. In Brazil, a new law introduced in June 2008 has reduced the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit from 0.6 to 0.2 g/l, but the effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents remains uncertain. Objectives: To analyze the effects of lowering the BAC limit on road traffic fatalities and injuries in both the State and the capital of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Data on deaths and injuries caused by road traffic accidents were collected from January 2001 to May 2009 (a total of 45,794 fatalities and 1,298,318 injuries). Time series analysis and simple comparisons one year before and after the new law were carried out. Results: Traffic fatalities have been decreasing in the capital since 2001, with a reduction of 7.9% in the post-law period. Traffic fatalities in the State, however, remained constant from 2001 until 2008, although a reduction of 6.9% was observed after the law. Traffic injuries have been increasing since 2001, in both regions, and started declining before the law, showing a greater reduction in the post-law period (12.4 and 13.8% for capital and State, respectively). Conclusions: The new road traffic law had a deeper impact on traffic injuries than fatalities. Nevertheless, the decrease on casualties was observed during the period before the law, when preventive actions and police enforcement were already being used for controlling alcohol-impaired driving, which points to the relevance of such laws as a reinforcement strategy.

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