t turns out to be bl**dy hard to find any statistics on alcohol-related traffic deaths, but at least here's something to go by. Based on this document (and a couple of WHO sources to which I've lost the URL), about 40% of fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in the USA are alcohol-related. (Turns out it's fairly constant whether you consider 2002, 2005 or 2006, so this is a reasonably reliable statistic.) For Europe, where drinking ages are generally much lower (if they exist at all link) but where the limits on blood alcohol content while driving are lower as well(*), I found the following list of statistics on this WHO webpage:
Austria, 2001: 6.5% of fatalities; 1998: 8.5%.
Belgium, 2000: 10.2%; 1998: 8.9%.
Czech Republic, 2002: 10.5%.
Denmark, 2001: 26.6%; 1995: 20.2%.
Finland, 2005: 14.3%; 2004: 15.7%; 2002: 14.6%; 2000: 14.4%.
etc.
I could go through the entire alphabet, but I guess you see my point. (I'll admit there are exceptions to this rule: France 2002: 30 to 40%; Ireland, 2000: at least 40%; Italy, 2000: 30-50%; Spain, 1998: 41%.)
I guess my point is clear by now.
Have a great - and safe! - 2010 everyone. Happy New Year :-)
(*): ps: the link for the European statistics doesn't seem to be working. Let's see if we can remedy that. The data I show comes from this page: http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/default.asp. In the right-hand box "Related Sites", click on the bottom link ("GISAH"). Confusingly, you'll find that the URL doesn't change, but the webpage does. Anyway. Now you click on the third link from the top: Data query to search the contents of the information system, select the category "Harms and Consequences", the topic "Mortality" and sub-topic "Alcohol-related road traffic fatalities" (all the way down the bottom). Make sure to select a decent range of years, so you don't accidentally tick a year that didn't have any information.
Interestingly, last time I tried this, I only got European countries. Now it has all of them - so you can verify the American ~40% and see that Australia had 31% in 1990. (After 1990 the Aussies seem to have subtly tweaked their statistics, but I'll leave that debate for now.) UK was at 15% in 2002.
6 years ago
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One fine day I thought "No more beer", and few months later I find some belgian beer! Told my friend to trust me and picked up 5 of them; and we weren't disappointed. By the way, Rogue- an American beer, is good too.
ReplyDeleteAh, an interesting split in your European statistics:
ReplyDeleteGermanic/Nordic countries - low percentage
Mediterranean countries - high percentage
Who woulda thought?
As for the ID issue, the same goes in suburban Melbourne (maybe out further than your former haunts) for similar reasons. While no idiot lobby groups are sending kids in (though the state government uses that same trick for ciggys) the threat of losing licence makes lots of places 'card' *everyone*, look they 17 or 77 years of age. In country pubs, it is still in practice more at the publican's disctression.
D.F. is Distrito Federal, so yes, it's like Canberra or D.C., but despite the name it's more a full state than an administrative district: 22 million inhabitants and all.
And cheers for the kind words about my scribings ;)
It's great to hear Belgian export is keeping you from the straight path, Ohm. As for Rogue - I'm surprised you found that in India! It is indeed a very good brand (as Josh would have gladly told you if only he had seen your comment) but you really have to like the hopsy bitterness which is really strong irrespective of which "flavour" Rogue brings you. (I've been told this is ubiquitous for beers from the American North-West.)
ReplyDeleteAs for Paul's comment - I'm not sure what makes the split more interesting: the fact that the numbers are less precisely determined or that they are higher. Either way, the N-S European divide is once again pretty clear indeed. (With the UK and Ireland on neither side in particular!)
Basically I haven't got a problem with carding: the law is, after all, the law. But I have a problem with people being picky. An ID is an ID and if it looks like a very extensive forgery if at all - then they should just let it pass. If it's enough to get money out, it should be enough to get a beer - I know where my priorities lie!
Turns out my link for the statistical data led nowhere. That should be fixed now.
ReplyDelete