Indiana leads nation for increased traffic deaths involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers

Volume 124: March 4, 2013

Indiana leads nation for increased traffic deaths involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers

February 26, 2013

Blame it on texting, eating, drinking, changing the radio station. Or simple inexperience at the wheel.

All are believed to be the reasons behind a new and disturbing statistic: Traffic deaths among 16- and 17-year-old drivers increased more sharply in Indiana than in any other state during the first half of 2012, according to a Governors Highway Safety Association report.

Both Indiana and Tennessee recorded 16 deaths among that population from January to June in 2012, the report states - part of an overall increase nationwide. Louisiana followed with 15 deaths, and Texas had 14. Alabama and Kentucky had 12 each.

Indiana showed the greatest jump in deaths - from three to 16 - when researchers compared the 2012 span to the same period in 2011.

Distracted driving - often as a result of texting - is a likely cause for the increase, though not the only one.

"Car full of kids, stereo cranked up - all of these are distractions, and we're a society of multitasking," said Dan Towery, who is helping form the nonprofit Drive Sober, Inc., in Tippecanoe County. He stressed that, while the spike was concerning, more a half-year of data is needed to draw significant conclusions.

Still, he added, "sometimes a few seconds you're looking away from the road, and that's all it takes."

The need to eliminate texting and driving is a legitimate focus, said Capt. Dave Bursten of the Indiana State Police. But he agreed that many factors contribute to teen driving deaths.

"We have inexperience in driving," he said, referring to teen drivers.

"And anything that divides attention plays a role - anything from a person talking to driver in the car to a person talking on the phone or operating an MP3 or iPod - or texting while they're driving."

Alcohol and drug use can, inevitably, also play a role.

In May, for example, police said alcohol and marijuana use was suspected in a crash that killed one teenager and injured four others, all between the ages of 16 and 18. Nathan Gentry, 18, suffered massive head injuries and died after the car struck a tree northwest of Brownsburg.

Like many states, Indiana has "graduated driver licensing'' - in effect, restrictions for 16-and-17-year-olds.

Drivers below the age of 18, for example, receive "probationary" licenses. That means, for 180 days after receiving the license, they can't drive with passengers unless a parent or adult is in the front passenger seat, and they can't drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. They also can't use a cell phone while driving unless they're calling 911.

Despite the restrictions, authorities say, young people sometimes fail to comprehend risks because they're still new to driving.

Source: IndyStar

Last call for British pubs? Ailing ale houses closing

March 2, 2013

With its comfy sofas, open fires, choice of beers on tap and clutch of regulars propping up the bar catching up on the local gossip, the Eagle pub in Battersea is as traditional an ale house as they come.

"It's a focal part of the community," said Graham Hill, 65, a regular of the Victorian pub. "People of all ages can meet here, and you're a friend, not just a customer. It would be a great loss if it were to close."

But regular pubgoers the length and breadth of the country are facing just that, as the Great British pub is forced out by modern life and financial troubles. As a result, names like the King's Head, the White Hart and the Old Red Lion could be names soon consigned to history books rather than British high streets and village greens.

"What has always fascinated me is that when a shop closes there is sadness, but when a pub closes there is such an emotional reaction, people are outraged, even those who don't use the pub, because it is vital to a community's well-being," said John Longden, chief executive of Pub is the Hub, a scheme spearheaded by Prince Charles that helps landlords and local communities to revive ailing pubs.

Despite their storied history at the very heart of British society dating back to the Roman empire, many pubs haven't been able to withstand the effects of the economic crisis and the very modern phenomenon of cheap supermarket booze, often sold at prices six times lower than in the pub.

"Some supermarkets are selling beer for cheaper than water," explained Tony Jerome, a spokesman for the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) which promotes community pubs, and traditional, unfiltered, unpasteurized beer. "You can pick up a 5% beer for 80 cents a can, the equivalent in a pub could be $5.50."

The locals, as pubs are known colloquially, are closing at a rate of 18 per week, according to the latest figures. Nearly 6,000 landlords having gone out of business in the last four years. Since 2008, the number of regular pubgoers in the U.K. has declined by 3 million.

A business model focused on short-term profit and above-inflation yearly tax increases on beer, known as the beer-escalator, has led to many pubs being unable to survive.

Source: USA Today

Liquor sales privatization means added costs for Pa. law enforcement

February 21, 2013

With a liquor privatization plan expected to come before the Pennsylvania House soon, lawmakers are trying to pinpoint the cost of convenience.

Legislators and State Police agree that replacing the roughly 600 state liquor stores with twice as many private wine and liquor retailers will require more enforcement of the liquor laws.

State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan starts with the assumption there would be 1,200 new liquor licensees.

"We're thinking that we probably would be looking at maybe a $5 million increase in our enforcement," he said.

That estimate is too modest, contends state Rep. Scott Petri, and it turns a blind eye to the proposal to create an untold number of licenses to sell wine and beer.

"Every grocery store, every convenience store, every big-box retailer, and every pharmacy store could be a licensee," says Petri, R-Bucks. "So that could be at least 12,000. Maybe it's 20,000."

Legislation to privatize liquor sales isn't in writing yet.

The most lawmakers have is a memo saying a bill is coming in early March.

State Police may be hesitant to put a cost figure on a hypothetical change, but Petri says it has to be taken into consideration, and soon.

He's a member of the Liquor Control Committee which will have to decide whether to advance the privatization proposal.

Link: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/51341

Source: NewsWorks

Students opt to skip meals to consume alcohol, fewer calories

March 1, 2013

Trisha Patel, a sophomore biology student, said she knows people who choose to forego meals throughout the day to be able to drink large amounts of alcohol at night.

The reason behind the practice is to reduce the amount of calories the body intakes so they do "not gain too much weight."

"I feel as though every time I see her she looks weaker because she doesn't get the right nutrients throughout the day," Patel said of her friend.

"Instead, she has convinced herself that she evens herself out by replacing food with alcohol."

The practice is called "drunkorexia," a new problem that has arisen among college student in the last few years. The term is a colloquialism that refers to restricting calories or binge eating which means eating more so one can consume more alcohol.

"Drinking on an empty stomach allows alcohol to be absorbed quicker. Without realizing it, your body's alcohol content is higher, which is toxic," Jo Skinner, a nurse practitioner for St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital said.

"It's an easy way to get alcohol poisoning."

An alcohol related illness isn't the only thing to worry about when engaging in such behaviors.

"Common side effects [of drunkorexia] include alcohol poisoning that could lead to death," Skinner said.

Source: Indiana Statesman

Washington: Bill tackles alcohol poisoning among underage drinkers

February 18, 2013

Cmdr. Steve Rittereiser said his University of Washington Police Department officers are familiar with the scene: a late-night party where someone under 21 drinks way too much and passes out.

Less-intoxicated students mill around or try to revive the drinker. If the situation is bad enough, someone might call for help. But most partygoers flee before the ambulancearrives.

Those who stick around are reluctant to answer questions.

"They're afraid they're going to get in trouble just by being there," Rittereiser said. "And it makes it hard to figure out what happened."

Legislation in Olympia aims to encourage underage partyers to seek help more quickly in cases of binge drinking and possible alcohol poisoning.

If House Bill 1404 is enacted, minors suffering from alcohol poisoning would not be prosecuted for minor-in-possession charges if they need medical attention. Minors helping alcohol-poisoning victims also would be exempt from prosecution.

"This doesn't excuse you from any other liability, and you won't be excused from anything if you don't call 911," said Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, who sponsored the bill. "The message of this bill is not 'please go drink.' "

Source: The Seattle Times

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