What is it about?
We wished to take advantage of a unique natural experiment in which the Hong Kong government eliminated all taxes on wine and beer but soon after increased the penalties for drink driving. The authors wished to see whether lower taxes/greatly increased availability of alcohol or more stringent legal penalties (much higher fines, potential imprisonment) would be more influential in drinking driving levels.
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Why is it important?
This is the only study examining the simultaneous effects of greater enforcement of drink driving in a climate of greater alcohol availability and lowered taxes. The findings have great applicability for other urban areas, particularly those with good public transportation. Policy makers in urban areas may consider expanding public transportation operation times on weekends as a potential countermeasure for drink driving.
Perspectives
Conducting this research was interesting because it allows us to answer the question as to whether one "can have one's cake and eat it too". The answer is rarely "yes" in health research so the study results were a pleasant surprise.
Prof Jean H Kim
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Drink driving in Hong Kong: the competing effects of random breath testing and alcohol tax reductions, Addiction, March 2013, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/add.12116.
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