Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
U.S. DWI fatalities hit all time low since data was first collected by MADD 30 years ago
From Injury Board blog:
New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that drunk driving deaths dropped to their lowest level since MADD has been tracking the data.
The number of fatalities in 2009, 10,839, represents a 7% decrease from 2008.
MADD was founded 30 years ago, at which time the number of fatalities was twice as high as the 2009 number. MADD started its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving four years ago, and the number of deaths from drunk driving declined by 20% since that campain began. However, close to 11,000 deaths is still way too high, so we must all continue to promote better awareness.
Just think about how much better educated our children are about the dangers of drinking and driving than young adults were in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's.
There have been DWI deaths in Genesee County recently in Oakfield.
GCASA runs a Victim Impact Panel every month for offenders from Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties. It is usually attended by 35 -50 people monthly.
Even though deaths are down, there is still a problem locally and nationally. 11,000 DWI deaths a year is nothing for us to brag about. By way of comparison, there were 3,000 on 9/11.
New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that drunk driving deaths dropped to their lowest level since MADD has been tracking the data.
The number of fatalities in 2009, 10,839, represents a 7% decrease from 2008.
MADD was founded 30 years ago, at which time the number of fatalities was twice as high as the 2009 number. MADD started its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving four years ago, and the number of deaths from drunk driving declined by 20% since that campain began. However, close to 11,000 deaths is still way too high, so we must all continue to promote better awareness.
Just think about how much better educated our children are about the dangers of drinking and driving than young adults were in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's.
There have been DWI deaths in Genesee County recently in Oakfield.
GCASA runs a Victim Impact Panel every month for offenders from Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties. It is usually attended by 35 -50 people monthly.
Even though deaths are down, there is still a problem locally and nationally. 11,000 DWI deaths a year is nothing for us to brag about. By way of comparison, there were 3,000 on 9/11.
Emergency room visits for abuse of opiates doubles between 2004 and 2008
Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Gateway effect of marijuana is overblown new research says
New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- is overblown.
Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research. In fact, the strongest predictor of whether someone will use other illicit drugs is their race/ethnicity, not whether they ever used marijuana.
Conducted by UNH associate professors of sociology Karen Van Gundy and Cesar Rebellon, the research appears in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
"In light of these findings, we urge U.S. drug control policymakers to consider stress and life-course approaches in their pursuit of solutions to the 'drug problem,' " Van Gundy and Rebellon say.
For more information click here.
Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research. In fact, the strongest predictor of whether someone will use other illicit drugs is their race/ethnicity, not whether they ever used marijuana.
Conducted by UNH associate professors of sociology Karen Van Gundy and Cesar Rebellon, the research appears in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
"In light of these findings, we urge U.S. drug control policymakers to consider stress and life-course approaches in their pursuit of solutions to the 'drug problem,' " Van Gundy and Rebellon say.
For more information click here.
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