INTRODUCTION The aim of this survey was to assess the motives for energy drink consumption, both alone and mixed with alcohol, and to determine whether negative or neutral motives for consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AMED) have a differential effect on overall alcohol consumption. METHODS Demographics, alcohol and energy drink consumption-related questions, and motives for the cons...

Most people start their day with a cup of coffee. Many people would also finish their daily work with coffee. As such, coffee drinking is an important part of modern daily life. It has been told that coffee is a driving force for humans to develop science, because it has an alerting effect on the human brain. However, some people report experiencing irregular heartbeat or headaches and are thus...

OBJECTIVE This longitudinal study investigated Grade-7 and Grade-10 risk factors for alcohol misuse at Grade 12. Alcohol misuse was conceptualized as problem-related drinking (e.g., missing school), high-risk drinking (e.g., drunk driving) and high consumption. METHOD Prospective analyses using two-part models predicted any alcohol misuse and the amount of misuse (given that some has occurred...

This paper reports the results of a preliminary analysis of daily fatal crashes in New South Wales, Australia, between July 1975 and December 1986. The analysis unexpectedly uncovered a small but statistically significant decline in crashes coinciding with the introduction of a law lowering the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from .08 to .05 g%. The original aim of the analysis was to d...

This paper examines the claim of the New Zealand Land Transport Safety Authority, that the reduction in the road toll in New Zealand from October 1995 to mid-1996 was predominantly due to a television advertising campaign conducted over that time. The method of analysis was similar to that used to evaluate a similar, successful campaign conducted earlier in Victoria, Australia, on which the New...

This paper reports on a study that formed part of a Europe-wide investigation of the impact drugs, medications and medical conditions have on road safety (the IMMORTAL project) (Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing). This larger research programme is investigating the accident risk associated with different forms of driver impairment and the implication f...

PROBLEM The efficacy of drink driving (driving under the influence, DUI) countermeasures to deter motorists from driving over the legal limit is extremely important when considering the personal and economic impact the offending behavior has on the community. This paper reports on an examination of 780 Queensland motorists' perceptions of legal and non-legal sanctions and their deterrent impact...

Introduction The quality of blood ethanol concentration (BEC) determination is important because of its legal ramifications. Measurement uncertainty provides quantitative information about the quality and reliability of test results. In this study, we aim to calculate the measurement uncertainty for the ethanol test in our laboratory measured with a Synchron Systems Ethanol assay kit by employi...

Driver sleepiness is a major cause of serious road crashes. Coffee is often used as an effective countermeasure to driver sleepiness. However, the caffeine levels in coffee are variable, whereas certain proprietary "functional energy drinks" (FEDs) contain known levels of caffeine (and other ingredients). We investigated the effectiveness of a well-known FED in reducing sleepiness in drivers. T...

This paper analyses the alcohol consumption patterns in Spanish drivers, the incidence of alcohol-related problems and attempts to ascertain whether, in the end, drivers with alcohol-related problems are considered fit or unfit to drive. In accordance with Spanish and European Union legislation, driving licences cannot be issued or renewed to people suffering from alcohol-related problems. A me...