US Navy – Have the guts to do what’s required to succeed. What’s wrong with us?

09/03/2012

As part of their duties, the US Navy and US Marines Senior Officers regularly put those under their command in harms way. They do this as a matter of routine.

Yet they routinely minimize risk – where they see it – and can do something about it!

In short they value life! Can we say the same Australia’s Civilian “Commanders” in jurisdictions such as the city councils of Australia’s Capital Cities and Australia’s State Government Premiers?

Can we say the same for the Governments of the UK and others?

Can we say the same for the leadership of Australia’s Defence Force (ADF)?

USS Virginia

US Nuke Subs have Missiles, Super Computers, Torpedoes and now Breathalyzers!

The US Navy and Marines have evaluated various solutions and found what we discovered decades ago. The most effective behaviour changing process you can invent to beat the scourge of binge drinking-alcohol fueled violence and pedestrian deaths is via Random Breath Testing (BAC Testing).

From the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, first printed on 6th March,  2012, headed Navy, Marines to Start Random Alcohol Tests, by Nathan Hodge, I present these quotes:

The Navy and Marines said Monday they plan to introduce random breath tests of personnel on duty as part of a broader health-and-safety push…

And:

The U.S. military already randomly tests members of all branches for illegal drug use. But resorting to breath tests—which detect blood alcohol levels from a breath sample—represents a first for military personnel.

And:

Some Navy crew members, for instance, will have to take a breath test when reporting aboard a ship for duty and other sailors will be subjected to random inspections.

And as part of their prior testing of RBT methods:

The Navy’s submarine fleet in the Pacific has already experimented with a pilot breath-test program that began in 2009. Officials say that program led to a 45% decrease in alcohol-related incidents, such as arrests for driving [cars!] under the influence.

US Nuke Sub Torpedo Room

US Nuclear Submarine Torpedo Room. Every finger on every button belongs to a sober, drug free serviceman or woman.

We have no immediate feedback on how many Submarine to Submarine collisions were avoided…

Note, in Australia we have a long history of proving the targeted effectiveness of RBT via our motorist targeted Point 05 Campaign which has saved hundreds of lives in the process.

Confusingly, a recent Defense Force Inquiry found that

alcohol use is common among ADF personnel and … there is also a high prevalence of drinking at hazardous levels. …this situation has existed in the ADF for a
considerable time, despite some commendable efforts to comprehensively address it over the years.”

Comment: Commendable Efforts don’t cut it. People, including civilians are regularly dying whilst these “Commendable Efforters” fail to hit a cultural change target.
(Just ask family and friends of victims of HMAS Cerberus – a major cultural trend setter training base in Victoria, Australia.
And:

26.4% of ADF members report consuming alcohol at hazardous or harmful
levels. …risky drinking in the ADF is an important contributor to
alcohol related harm

Comment, a quick read proves where the major attention of the defence force chiefs will be drawn:

…an analysis of the volume of negative television, radio and press
coverage of the ADF and its personnel in relation to alcohol found that in 2010–2011 there
were 2,666 such reports, which reached a cumulative potential audience of 81,159,239 and
had an advertising space rate of $4,445,812. This was a 347% increase from 2009–2010

And paid spin doctors, get typing on your response to a likely Tender:

Any explicit communication strategy can be readily undermined by adverse counter messages
and in this context the Panel advises the ADF to develop an organisation-wide policy on
alcohol industry sponsorship and promotion of ADF people, units, and events that has a
specific intent of reducing alcohol related harm

Comment: ADF personel could use their common sense, review what The US Navy submariners have found, and do what they do, and add more measures.
(ADF: No charge for that advice…)

Meanwhile, in a tale of how hard it is to put across a message of so-called “safe” alcohol consumption,  Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council’s new guidelines are known by only 5% of respondents (source: research conducted by the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research)

Read more at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Note that the “safe” is a relative term. The World Health Organisation long ago found there was no known safe level of drinking.
(Remember that alcohol is toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and addictive. It cannot ever be absolutely safe for all users at any recommended level.)

Study author Michael Livingston should consider the idea of adapting Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) findings and translate the size and type of drink recommendations to BAC Levels – Over Time.

The Pedestrian 08 policy includes the mandatory installation of BAC Testing machines (breathalysers), at a set ratio to the number of clients in the venue, so that any alcohol user will have immediate access to a testing machine. Saving yet more motorists from unintentional drunk driving (BAC 0.05) and for “drink-walking” (BAC 0.08). Providing an extra lines of defense for motorists via self-initiated, in venue BAC testing; Police initiated Pedestrian RBT (P-RBT) – picking up those who, with an affected judgement, intend to drive; as well as picking up those offending against new P-RBT limits.

It would be a minor matter of programming to enable the user’s test sample and time entered to give the user instant feedback on how the users current BAC Level fits into the NHMRC guidelines – via the audio-visual capabilities of BAC Testing machines.

An example expression given in both written (Multi-languages) and with an accompanying spoken word may include: “You have a BAC of naught point O 8. You are over this jurisdictions Pedestrian BAC limit. For your own safety and to avoid being fined, please remain in your licensed Liquor Venue for at least another 20 mins. Let your friendly bar staff know. Please re-check your BAC level prior to leaving. Your BAC level indicates an intake well in excess of National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines. Try and avoid any more alcohol intake for 2-3 days. [a short blurb to state the modified, BAC/Time variant of NHMRC guidelines to follow].”*

* It would be good to get feedback on this idea. It gives you an idea of the potential for in venue BAC testing, how a stated BAC law will provoke (in fact guarantee) a general user awareness of their BAC level at all times whilst engaged in use of alcohol. The same Breathalysers / Breathalyzers can serve an educative role for broad liquor consumption guidelines and give specific feedback on where the user’s breath test fit’s them into the practice of the same guidelines.

Leave a Comment » | Mike Cockburn, pedestrian 08 law, Pedestrian deaths and injuries, Pedestrian Random Breath Testing, pedestrian-08-limit, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign, US Navy, World Health Organisation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Alcohol kills a jumbo load of people every 17 days – new report from UK

01/03/2012

The UK’s alcohol epidemic continues – unchecked and untempered by political parties only too keen to take the money and exercise a preference for profit over life.

A harsh assessment? Read this link from the UK’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, who, unlike DrinkWatch and DrinkWise are not funded by Big Liquor.

Reducing Alcohol Harm

Download report directly from: British Liver Trust.

Would a jumbo crashing every 17 days get the media to warn about the clear health risks of flying in jumbos? Probably.

Would a jumbo load of Big Liquor Fatalities every 17 days motivate the media to warn about the clear and often mortal risks of binge drinking? Absolutely not.

This failure to report and educate is a key factor added to the circumstances that create a jumbo load of victims every 17 days. Victims of accidents, illnesses, murders and assaults, along with results forthcoming from the consumption of a toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic (Birth Defects) and addictive drug.

Mandating the provision of Audio Visual equipped, near blood test quality, BAC testing machines, in all liquor outlets, would go a long way to educating users at the critical point of sale.

Being motivated to use the BAC Testing Machines via the setting of a sensible, maximum BAC limit for pedestrian and public transport commuters will stimulate the uptake of key learnings about the toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and addictive qualities of this drug. Pedestrian Random Breath Testing provides this motivation. A motivation based on a Pedestrian 08 Limit.

Local Australian Media ought not to get as confused as their colleague Derryn Hinch.

There’s no doubt Derryn, the British Liver Trust reports alcohol is responsible for 80% of deaths from liver disease.

Derryn, a good bloke who has gone to jail in defense of his beliefs – but who is punching well above his weight, pulling a fantastic partner – doesn’t seem to accept the link between heavy binge drinking and alcohol induced liver disease and mortality.

Read this and learn to accept it Derryn! And discover other heinous results of unfettered access to alcohol including the cancers and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Derryn will go to jail to protect children. Derryn can protect vastly more children from the gene damaging effects of FASD on children via doing everything he can to publicise the cause and effects of FASD.

1 in every 100 Derryn…

1 in Four in  at least one aboriginal tribe in North America.

For a comprehensive examination of FASD check this link: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/fasd/

Leave a Comment » | 3AW, Binge drinking, British Liver Trust, Drinkwatch, Drinkwise, Liver Disease, pedestrian 08 law, Pedestrian deaths and injuries, Pedestrian Random Breath Testing, pedestrian-08-limit, The Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, Uncategorized, Underage Drinkers | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Alcohol Riddled UK, struggling to find sensible regulation

21/02/2012

With one of the world’s largest problems dealing with alcohol, the UK is struggling to assertively introduce sensible, researched regulations to mitigate against the omnipresent marketing success of Big Liquor.

See this Guardian Link here: Can we afford not to have minimum pricing for alcohol?

Other articles at the Guardian here: Alcohol pricing: a battleground between heath groups and drinks industry

And here: Give people a drinking licence, and take it away if they cause enough damage

The UK appear to be choking on an inability to confront the mega corporations dominating their communities.  There seems to be a reluctance to take on one of the key tactics with this amazingly powerful lobby. This is to call them to account for what they are, what they have done, and what they continue to do.

UK A&E Departments and Ambulance paramedics should be clamoring for random pedestrian breath testing and a pedestrian 08 law.

This is a behaviour changing policy model that works. Comprehensively works.

Leave a Comment » | Alcohol Concern, Alcohol fuelled violence, alcohol related violence, Binge drinking, Emergency Department, pedestrian 08 law, Pedestrian Random Breath Testing, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Reaching for responsibility – are we there yet?

17/10/2011

Last Melbourne Cup Day – yes, it is a proclaimed public holiday here – Race Goers crossing Flinders Street from Young & Jackson’s famous bar, were handed a brochure proclaiming a fictitious Point 08 Pedestrian Limit for Race Day and how all Responsible Servers of Alcohol would, quite reasonably, provide an easy mechanism for Users to be able to accurately self test the amount of drug in their system via their Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Level.
Many of the Users were already so inebriated – at 10 in the morning – that they:

  1. Took the ‘Limit’ literally [they believed it] :) ;
  2. Confessed that they were already ‘over the limit’;
  3. Look really worried – and plainly paused for thought;
  4. Took the brochure.

A year has gone on and as the Melbourne Age reports (Oct 14, 2011) the Melbourne Race Club has moved to doing something like the above hoax, this time for real:

Race-goers at tomorrow’s Caulfield Cup will be able to see whether they exceed the blood-alcohol level as part of a plan to help prevent the racing carnival turning into tragedy.

Two breath-testing devices were today installed in the members pavilion at Caulfield racecourse to give some of the expected crowd of 40,000 the option of getting an alcohol reading before they got behind the wheel.

It is believed the devices, which charge people $2 for a breath test and are claimed by their manufacturers to be as reliable as the ones police use, have never before been installed for a major metropolitan race meeting.


And the motivation?:

Melbourne Racing Club spokesman Josh Rodder said the innovation was a “good cultural thing” to help people know how much alcohol they had consumed.

“It’s good to have just as a guide, so they’ve got an idea how much they’ve had if they are driving, or if they want to avoid having too much to drink,” Mr Rodder said.


And regular readers can see the holes:

  1. Not enough machines for the massive, massive crowd;
  2. No published pedestrian limit (what’s the guideline for a pedestrian?);
  3. No mention of the behaviour changing mechanism of:
    a) Clearly and simply proclaiming a max legal pedestrian limit;
    b) Advertising and marketing the pedestrian limit;
    c) Modify so called RSA guidelines to include a minimum number of BAC Testing machines, that guarantees immediate testing;
    d) Include point of sale audio visual education messages on the BAC Testing machines;
    e) Providing police for Pedestrian Random Breath Testing (RBT).

This more complete plan of law, education, testing and action would truly ensure “a good cultural thing”.

Avoiding incidents as reported in Herald Sun (Oct 16, 2011):

More than 60 people were thrown out of Caulfield Racecourse and three arrested as police cracked down hard on public drunkenness.

However, one woman had to be helped into a wheelchair by two St John Ambulance paramedics and pushed to a first aid station because she was so drunk.

And a fight between a group of young men had to be broken up by police.


By the way, we had our 10,000 visitor, on these pages recently.
Thanks so much for your interest and support.

1 Comment | alcohol, Binge drinking, drink-walking, pedestrian 08 law, Pedestrian deaths and injuries, pedestrian-08-limit, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Operation Unite. Great, but what’s the message?

04/02/2011

Operation Unite, a joint operation spanning the police forces of Australia and New Zealand was run once more.

Operation Unite YouTube Announcement

This could kill

See NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione’s announcement here.

Such joint, concerted operations aimed at the victims of Big Liquor should be encouraged.

Note that the alcohol affected are victims too.

Many lives would have been saved from either death or injury because of this operation.

Many, many more would be saved if the message was more clearly spelled out!

Few of the arrested and fined idiots caught up in this operation would have a clear idea of when exactly they went wrong.

Will they change their behaviour? Do they know how much is too much? How many will be repeat offenders?

Whereas, a motorist pulled over for a breathalyser will know exactly where the boundaries are, where and when their transgression commenced and what the probable penalties would be.

How many of the alcohol afflicted caught up in Operation Unite would have gone home knowing exactly what went wrong – what was it exactly that was illegal? – and what point in time was their errant behaviour was set in motion?

What Operation Unite needs at its core, is a clear boundary to enforce.

What Operation Unite needs to enforce is responsible drinking.

You need to clearly define what responsible drinking is,  in the context of mixing with your fellow citizens in public, in order to have any chance of getting past the message “Don’t upset the police!” – which may in fact be the only campaign message being transmitted during Operation Unite.

Note, that you cannot get an clear, easily understood answer from police, Big Liquor or Government to this question:

What is responsible drinking?

This boundary should be the maximum safe blood alcohol content for a pedestrian: A BAC of point 08.

That’s a simple, easy to understand, true message in need of Government and community promotion.

If you work for a police force, ask for it and get your colleagues to ask for it:

We want a max BAC of 08 for Pedestrians

Advertise it, Educate the public, Enforce it, like you enforce point 05 for motorists.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe recently stated that 70% of Victoria Police workload was alcohol related.

By enforcing a maximum BAC Limit of point 08, Operation Unite should be part of a campaign to reverse that statistic.

Along with the alcohol epidemic hitting our ambulance and hospital services…

Leave a Comment » | Alcohol fuelled violence, alcohol related violence, pedestrian 08 law, pedestrian-08-limit, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Binge Drinking Primary School Students

26/10/2010

Under the headline ‘Girls worse than boys for underage boozing’ a report in the Daily Gazette sums up the tragic situation in the UK where:

Shocking evidence from charity Alcohol Concern shows nearly a third more girls than boys have been admitted to hospital from Accident and Emergency wards after excessive drinking.

So normalised is underage drinking in the UK, that the focus of Alcohol Concern is to reduce the amount underage drinkers actually drink, not to actually stop them from drinking:

As long as alcohol remains as heavily promoted as it currently is, young drinkers will continue to consume far more than they might otherwise, leading to inevitable health harms, wasting ambulance and police time.

Every possible effort must be made to eliminate any underage drinking.
A program of random on street breath testing associated with Pedestrian 08 would help identify children risking permanent damage and addiction via alcohol consumption and offer authorities an intervention opportunity prior to these often abused and neglected children needing attention in Accident and Emergency Departments.

Don Shenker’s reference to Alcohol Marketing shows again what evil consequences Big Liquor advertising, Sport Sponsorship and Facebook/Social Media marketing, has on Big Liquor’s primary school age drinking market.

Daily Gazette Banner

Daily Gazette

Leave a Comment » | alcohol, Alcohol Concern, Binge drinking, pedestrian 08 law, Underage Drinkers | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Queenstown United in Violence and Alcohol Reduction

21/10/2010
Ann Fowler in Otaga Daily Times

Ann Fowler in Otaga Daily Times

Otago Daily Times ran this article today regarding Ann Fowler’s efforts to curb the harms of alcohol in New Zealand.

Effective regulation was needed to change New Zealand’s harmful drinking culture.

She proposed the group focus on five policies to solve the national alcohol crisis.

We need to talk about raising alcohol prices, raising the alcohol purchase age, reducing alcohol accessibility, reducing marketing and advertising and increasing drink-driving counter-measures,”Acting forum chairman Peter Gibson said many points raised could be turned into submissions.

The Pedestrian 08 Campaign responded with familiar suggestions:

The Alcohol Reform Bill needs to deal with mass population behaviour change measures.
Be effective. Present your population with a measure of intoxication that they can readily understand – a BAC number of 0.08. Educate, campaign, test and heavily fine offenders. Most, if not all your alcohol problems will evaporate.

See the full article by Naeem Alvi for more.

Leave a Comment » | alcohol, Alcohol fuelled violence, alcohol related violence, Binge drinking, pedestrian 08 law, pedestrian-08-limit, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Judges fed up with drunken violence clogging our courts

20/10/2010

How can anyone blame Chief Magistrate Graeme Hensen for his comments of frustration vented in ‘Judges fed up with drunken violence clogging our courts’, published Monday, 18 October 2010, on the Sydney Morning Herald website?

Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson

Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson

Mr Hensen offers up one more massively important statistic that adds to the considerable list of blood and guts subsidies going to Big Liquor and their retail servants: ‘Alcohol plays a role in 50 to 60 per cent of the nearly 300,000 criminal cases that come before the state’s Local Courts each year’.
Add that one to the cancers, the hospitals, nursing home care for the brain damaged, the 70% of police time devoted to cleaning up after Big Liquor, the 20,000 children abused by alcohol affected adults every year etc…
NSW badly needs a Pedestrian 08 Law and Education Campaign to drill in a widespread acceptance that as your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) increases, your ability – your reliability – to act responsibly diminishes. In short, ‘Responsible Drinking Ends at 08’ clearly illustrates a much needed, easily understood message.
We can immediately rid our streets of all alcohol fuelled violence via the immediate adoption of Pedestrian 08.
No one who wants to drink will be stopped from drinking.
Graeme Hensen’s focus would then turn to working out which of his colleagues could be retired…

Leave a Comment » | alcohol, Alcohol fuelled violence, alcohol related violence, Binge drinking, drink-walking, pedestrian 08 law, pedestrian-08-limit, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

Taking a drunk from the Brownlow…

20/09/2010

The Brownlow Medal is the greatest individual prize in the world’s greatest sport – Australian Rules Football – albeit a sport completely unknown in most countries…

The Brownlow Medal has a chequered history in presenting an example of behaviour not always desirable and sometimes downright embarrassing and shameful.

Most recently most publicised was the reporting of footballer and media personality Brendan Fevola.

Critics fell for the trap of finger pointing and isolating and picking on an alcohol user who appeared to be out of control. The culture encouraged by Big Liquor is to continuously point out that behaviour of this ilk is unusual and shouldn’t be thought of as typical. In fact, such behaviours are normal for those using too much of this drug of addiction. This drug pushes at least a significant, predictable percentage of users over the edge into unsocial behaviour.

Hence the 70% of acts of violence associated with the product sold by Big Liquor. Hence the thousands of children abused in this country because of the use of this drug and marketing success of Big Liquor.

Recently Andrew Demetriou, CEO of the AFL outlined a reduction in the provision of alcohol to the invited and that those players who were overly affected by alcohol would be asked to leave.

The Pedestrian 08 Campaign sent this letter to Andrew for his consideration:

Dear Andrew,

I listened to your segment on Radio 774 this morning.

You were pushing the commendable line that less alcohol would be made available to attendees at the forthcoming Brownlow Medal Presentation.

This is a terrific initiative on the part of the AFL and shows up the total failure of the Government’s and Liquor Industries so called ‘Responsible Serving of Alcohol’ policy, which consistently seems to be place the inebriated on the streets and often in trouble.

Of great concern was your initiative to evict any player who may be considered too drunk, by whatever standard that defines it (RSA?)

Be aware that at a BAC of 08 you are twice as likely to get killed or injured as a pedestrian than would be the case if you had a BAC of 00.

You are more likely to get hurt or do someone an injury in an act of alcohol fuelled violence at a BAC of 08 plus than at 00.

I strongly urge you to announce at the Brownlow that every AFL player will be contracted to stay under a BAC of 08 at all times.

That pubs frequented by AFL – especially in an official capacity – be expected to carry on site Breathalyser Machines to facilitate this behaviour.

That players will be educated to anticipate how many drinks over what timeframe would push them over 08.

I especially urge you to take measures to make sure your employees/players are safe on leaving the Brownlow, and remain under the care of others until their BAC drops below 08.

The message is ‘Responsible drinking ends at 08’.

Please find a generic pitch we send out to those interested in the Pedestrian 08 Campaign.

This is a ‘Responsible consumption of alcohol’ program, putting the focus and responsibility for alcohol consumption onto the user.

Regards

Mike etc

No response or acknowledgement from Andrew or the AFL was received at time of writing.

To see what The Pedestrian 08 Campaign is all about, please click here…

Leave a Comment » | Alcohol fuelled violence, alcohol related violence, pedestrian 08 law, Pedestrian deaths and injuries, pedestrian-08-limit, The-Pedestrian-08-Campaign, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

World renowned expert backs efficacy of 08 limit

30/10/2009

One of the privileges of working in this area is speaking with dedicated and driven researchers and academics who have literally devoted their lives to helping governments, organisations and individuals deal with the binge drinking menace.

One such individual is Professor Robin Room. Prof Room is Professor of Social Alcohol Research in the School of Population Health of the University of Melbourne and is Director, AER Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.  Prof Room has a list of publications and research papers quite literally longer than this writer’s, right arm.  See list here!

In a conversation taking place whilst the Victorian State Government grants yet more liquor licences to yet more vertical drinking spaces, Prof Room was asked:

‘Would a pedestrian 08 limit have an effect on the amount of violence in our city?’

Prof Room stated:

‘If you could bring it in, and if you could effectively enforce it, it would substantially reduce violence in our city. It would substantially reduce the violence.’

Prof Room displayed no hesitation in stating this. None at all. It was clearly an obvious conclusion to a researcher in his field.

Take this on notice. If you want to immediately halt alcohol related violence in your city, innovate an 08 limit.

We need to bring to an end organised binge drinking as soon as humanly possible.

See rationale behind the campaign here

See blog entries, including responses to media articles and government policies here.

1 Comment | alcohol related violence, pedestrian 08 law, pedestrian-08-limit, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by pedestrian08

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