The Underestimated Drink Driving Situation and the Effects of Zero Tolerance Laws in China

Background: China has a competing situation in that the increase of alcohol consumption and the lowering rates of traffic injuries caused by drink driving coexist. In addition, the zero tolerance law was announced in January 2013. Under the above complex background, this study aims to unveil the truth about drink driving and the effects of the related policies in China. Methods: This research was a retrospective examination of the data from the National Disease Surveillance System in Shandong Province of China from 2011 to 2013. Descriptive statistics were used to find the summary of mortality caused by drink driving and the traits of the deceased subjects. Results: The drink driving situation in China was found to be much more alarming than the initial official prediction. In this research, the rate should be around 18.45% to 26.61%, compared to only 4.02% to 4.80% from the Ministry of Public Security. However, with the introduction of the zero tolerance law at the beginning of 2013, a significant change was observed; that is, a sharp decrease in traffic fatalities caused by drink driving between 2012 and 2013, with a drop of 6.81% (from 25.26% to 18.45%). According to the data, more attention should be paid to young adults, male drivers, those with low education, and the unemployed because the drink driving deaths increased for these populations during 2011 to 2013. Conclusion: In reality, the drink driving situation in China is much more serious than official prediction and the laws were efficient.