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Volume 38: September 13, 2010

RAD Readers Respond Across Indiana

Thanks to all of our readers who completed the recent RAD survey about our newsletter. Reader feedback helps us keep the content relevant and timely.
 
Here are some overall highlights from the survey:
  • Almost 60 percent of those responding want to receive the newsletter once a week.
  • About a quarter of our readers are recycling the RAD newsletter copy to send to their own audiences and lists.
  • More than 50 percent would like to see newsletters archived on the Project RAD website.
  • Almost 70 percent would like to see more polls in the RAD newsletter.
  • The majority of readers want us to share their local news with our statewide audience.
  • Thirty percent of respondents are interested in becoming a community partner with Project RAD.
Here are some sample survey comments:
 IndianaSheriff
Jasper County Sheriff Orville Perry
As a member of Drug Free Jasper County, we are always crunching numbers for statistic-comparing our county to the state numbers and other counties. I am always interested in statistics related to alcohol use and accidents involving the abuse of alcohol.

Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County Coalition Coordinator Jennie Carter
Receiving information about who is receiving permits and reading editorials. Information is useful to our coalition, as I forward your RAD newsletter on to our coalition members. We use information from the newsletter to discuss at our county coalition meetings when it is relevant to our local issues.
 
Cardinal Ritter High School President Greg Perkins
I read the newsletter for updates on local or statewide events that may be useful in an educational setting.

Indiana Traffic Deaths still Tied to Alcohol

Indiana traffic fatalities fell dramatically last year, but authorities remain troubled about a slight increase in alcohol-related deaths.

The 1.9 percent increase in drunken driving deaths in Indiana casts a shadow on new data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that showed the number of Indiana traffic fatalities dropped by 15 percent in 2009.

Nationwide, all traffic deaths fell by 9.7 percent to a 60-year low, and the number of alcohol-related fatalities last year dropped by 7.4 percent.

Indiana State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said the new fatality data show enforcement of drunken driving laws and education efforts must continue.

"This isn't strictly a law enforcement issue. It's also a public safety issue," Bursten said. "A lot of it rests on the public to heed what the research and the facts say."

For 2009, NHTSA reports 210 alcohol-related traffic deaths in Indiana, up from 206 in 2008. Nationally, there were 10,839 drunken driving deaths in 2009, compared with 11,711 in 2008.

"We are always striving to improve on the statistical information from the year before," Bursten said. "Each one of those numbers is somebody's life."

Source: The Indianapolis Star

Indy's Mayor Greg Ballard Announces Tougher Alcohol Policies

Indianapolis citizens remain outraged by the accident that involved an impaired police officer and resulted in the death of a motorcyclist in early August.
 
Mayor Greg Ballard reacted with new rules and reinforced old ones for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
 
A few of these new and old sanctions include:
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
Mayor Ballard

  • IMPD officers are barred from transporting alcohol in squad cars, marked or unmarked, or consuming alcohol eight hours before starting a shift.
  • If an officer is involved in a crash, he or she must undergo a breath test.
  • Police are not allowed to purchase alcohol while in uniform.
  • Police will be required to report when colleagues might have problems with substance abuse, and IMPD will increase its efforts to identify employees who need help before it's too late.
Click here to read more.

Click here to read The Indianapolis Star's editorial.

Take this Week's Save My Sunday Poll

Visit our blog Save My Sunday and weigh in on this question:
 
Should online polls be used as valid evidence and credible support to convince state lawmakers to expand the sale of alcohol on Sundays?
 
Tell us what you think!

Big Money Continues to Flow into Alcohol Debate

Big box retailers Costco and Wal-Mart are rivals in pursuit of people searching for 10-gallon drums of olive oil and other bulk consumer products. But they apparently agree on one thing: Liquor sales should be privatized in Washington state.

CashPubliCola notes that Wal-Mart has donated $40,000 to the Initiative 1100 campaign. I-1100 is one of two booze privatization measures on the fall ballot. It's primary backer is Costco, which has contributed more than $780,000 to the effort.

I-1100 would eliminate Washington's "three-tiered" liquor control system, which segregates the manufacturing, distributing and retailing of spirits. Bans against volume discounts would be repealed and retailers like Costco an Wal-Mart would be allowed to buy directly from manufacturers. The other measure, I-1105, would privatize the liquor retail system but keep in place state laws that protect the liquor distributors, who are behind 1105.

Right now Washington is one of 18 "control states," places where the government runs the sale and distribution of liquor. Washington has had this system since 1933, and state officials say it results in lower per-capita alcohol consumption and a reliable stream of tax revenue for government.


Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Southeast Indiana Alcohol and Drug Use Ranks High among Youth

Clark and Floyd counties, along with the rest of the southeastern portion of Indiana, rank first in the state in the number of high school seniors reporting to have used cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, alcohol and prescription painkillers.

Southeast Indiana, which also includes Harrison, Jackson, Orange counties and more, also ranked higher than the state average for over the counter drugs, marijuana and pipe use in the same category.

Click here to read the full article in the Evening News and Tribune.
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www.SaveMySunday.com