Stricter legal guidelines on blood alcohol focus (BAC) limits whereas driving may need an unintended consequence on hit-and-run fatalities, based on a research from researchers at Florida Atlantic College and the College of Miami.
Researchers embody Gulcin Gumus, Ph.D., affiliate professor in FAU’s School of Enterprise Administration Packages , and Michael T. French, Ph.D., professor and division chair of well being administration and coverage on the College of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Enterprise Faculty.
The research, revealed in Danger Evaluation, confirmed an 8.3% improve in hit-and-run fatalities related to the adoption of .08 BAC limits.
“What we discovered is that the .08 BAC restrict would not appear to make a major affect on lowering site visitors fatalities. Nevertheless, as soon as the DUI coverage turns into a bit stricter with the adjustments within the state laws, we discover that hit-and-run crashes and fatalities improve,” stated Gumus. “It seems that there could be an unintended consequence of those legal guidelines whereby drivers are selecting to desert the scene.”
Researchers examined information on site visitors fatalities from 1982 to 2008 in all 50 states, evaluating the variety of fatalities in hit-and-run crashes to non-hit-and-run fatalities the place drivers stayed on the scene and managed for different components corresponding to financial situations .
“Though our research is unable to definitively affirm any of those potential mechanisms, we suspect that some drivers who’re drunk or medication may flee a crash scene on account of extreme DUI sanctions, which are sometimes extra stringent than non-DUI hit-and-run penalties,” the research famous.
The unintended consequence of this legislation is extra pronounced in city areas and throughout the weekends. Whereas the research doesn’t tackle hit-and-run penalties straight, researchers consider it has necessary implications for lawmakers who purpose to enhance site visitors security.
“The considerably surprising findings of this analysis have necessary implications for site visitors security coverage,” French stated. “To keep away from or not less than reduce the unintended penalties of a decrease BAC restrict, policymakers ought to think about growing the penalties for hit-and-run drivers to dissuade them from leaving the scene of a collision.”
Extra data:
Michael T. French et al, Hit‐and‐run or hit‐and‐keep? Unintended results of a stricter BAC restrict, Danger Evaluation (2024). DOI: 10.1111/risa.14280
Florida Atlantic College
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Stricter blood-alcohol focus limits could result in extra hit-and-run fatalities, finds research (2024, March 8)
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