RBT EBook
WHEN RANDOM BREATH TESTING CAME TO AUSTRALIA
Well, the end of year festivities has been run and done, and sadly for too many families it was a time of tragedy, with people losing both life and limb due to driving while intoxicated. Whilst drink driving incidences have declined (still too many) drug driving occurrences are, very disturbingly, on the increase.
We here at People Against Drink/Drug Driving know all too well the pain of such loss and we were created decades ago to challenge for change. Our work, initiated by some remarkable Australians decades ago, has continued to be a voice for safer roads and communities.
Random Breath Testing came about, in large part, because of the work of P.A.D.D and its members. Their efforts over the years have contributed to saving lives and that is something to celebrate.
In time for Australia day, The Dalgarno Institute with its partner group P.A.D.D are very proud to announce the release of the Digital version of the work RBT – When Random Breath Testing Came to Australia. This historical look and important initiative was written and compiled by the remarkable Australian Artist, and Founding President of P.A.D.D, Mr Donald Cameron. This informative vignette is well worth the read for both history and context. The booklet is made available free of charge, thanks to the Dalgarno Institute and its member base.
As we lead up to Australia Day and celebrate our great nation, let us do so with a sober mind and sober body about all this means, the good, the bad and the ugly – Most of all, let us not add to, or create further destruction and harm by being people who shockingly choose to drink/drug drive.
To quote the Author ‘Good Divers Keep the Lid On!’
Enjoy the walk down memory lane, and learn a little more about what best practice activism can accomplish.
The Team, Dalgarno Institute
ALCOHOL
VOLUME SALES
– VICTORIA
Ambulance
AOD STATS
Interactive
Data Site
Introduction: Welcome to AODstats, the Victorian alcohol and drug interactive statistics and mapping webpage.
AODstats provides information on the harms related to alcohol, illicit and pharmaceutical drug use in Victoria.
For more details
visit the website now
People Against Drink/Drug Driving
Imagine if you had to tell a family that their child was never coming home again...because a driver had a few too many drinks and they were too lazy to get a taxi? How would you feel if it was your child? Your brother, your parent, your best friend? Now imagine that you're the one who had a few drinks and thought...Home isn't too far. I'll make it without getting busted. While on the back streets worrying if the booze bus will catch you, you hit someone. How do you live with that for the rest of your life?
Cannabis is now the most frequently detected illicit drug in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes. Experimental research and epidemiological data have demonstrated psychomotor impairment associated with THC intoxication and quantified impairment with heightened risk of motor vehicle fatalities. Experimental laboratory studies have repeatedly demonstrated that the primary component of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs psychomotor skills including reaction time, focus, executive function, decision making, impulse control, and short-term memory, all important assets needed for safe driving.
Research reveals that the high from marijuana peaks during the first hour after smoking and slowly declines over the following 2 to 5 hours (Hartman and Huestis 2013), sometimes longer. Studies of aircraft pilots who failed to safely execute an emergency landing 24-hours after smoking marijuana should have been the wake-up call we needed regarding the prolonged impairment, in some case 1-2 days after the subjective “high” wears off. But well-financed proponents of marijuana legalization were successful at circumventing the conventions of scientific inquiry to assess safety and efficacy, thus allowing a largely uneducated public to vote the use of this addictive drug into law. As a result, the prevalence of cannabis use is expected to increase as ongoing legalization of both medical and recreational use proceed, despite any scientific evidence regarding the efficacy as a medicine or individual and public safety concerns
20 March 2018 By Honor Whiteman Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
If, like me, you enjoy the occasional glass of wine in the evening, you probably don't feel as though your judgment or alertness is impaired after this one drink. But according to a new study, it is.
Researchers find that just one drink can interfere with decision-making.
Yep, that's right. Researchers say that we don't need to guzzle an entire bottle of vino for our cognition to suffer; just a single alcoholic drink has the power to mess with our minds — we're just not aware of it..
Drinking impairs decision-making
So, how does a single drink affect our brain waves and overall cognition? Well, the study found that drinking doesn't appear to affect our beta waves. When it comes to theta waves, however, it's a different story.
After drinking just one cocktail, study subjects showed a reduction in theta wave frequency: they fell to almost half the frequency of those who drank the orange juice. In the task itself, the cocktail was found to reduce subjects' color-matching accuracy by 5 percent, although their reaction times were unaffected by alcohol.
The researchers say that their findings suggest that even a single alcoholic drink can impair our ability to make decisions, though we're not aware of it. Importantly, because our motor control appears unaffected by alcohol, we're likely to proceed with certain physical actions, under the illusion that we're making the right choice.
13/2/18Bottom of Form Mixing Alcohol and Marijuana Amplifies THC in the System
Three news stories exemplify the tragic results of mixing alcohol and marijuana before getting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Most recently, a suspected-DUI driver crashed into a California Highway patrolman in a parked vehicle on Christmas Eve. Andrew Camilleri, 33, died instantly. He left behind a wife and three children.
A driver who drank alcohol and smoked marijuana killed CHP Officer Andrew Camilleri, on Chrstmas Eve.
A New York teen admitted that he used both marijuana and beer before the crash that killed his 16-year-old friend on August 31. Another 14 year-old in the vehicle was injured. Authorities have charged the teen with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Yet, the teen claimed that he didn’t feel that he was ‘messed up.’ He said that he had taken 3 or 4 hits of a joint, and drank from two partial cans of beer. But when driving, he “encountered a deer on the road and swerved to avoid it,” leading to the crash.
Ben Graham DECEMBER 25, 2017
DRINK-DRIVERS could be given on-the-spot fines for low-range and first-time offences rather than facing court.
It means those caught without previous convictions in NSW and those who register blood alcohol levels under 0.10 will never have to face a magistrate. It is hoped the NSW Government proposals will declutter the court system.
The proposals under draft Road Safety Plan 2021 would bring the state in line with Victoria and save court resources for more serious offences, Fairfax Media reported.
First-time offenders would be either fined or be disqualified through penalty notices. However, not everyone is in favour of the changes with some in the legal profession saying it would not discourage people from reoffending.
In Victoria, drivers aged over 26 who register a blood alcohol limit of between 0.05 and 0.07 only receive an on-the-spot fine and lose 10 demerit points.
- Victoria
- Dalgarno Central
(Coalition of Alcohol & Drug Educators)
Phone:
Fax: 1300 952 551
Address: PO Box 7005
Dandenong, Vic, 3175
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- P.A.D.D
Mobile: 1300 975 002
