NY Times Links reports a pedestrian 08 like policy would have avoided Afghan Massacre.

19/03/2012

The truly tragic massacre in Afghanistan has motivated the NY Times to write this:

Nearly every combat outpost in Afghanistan is automatically part of a volatile mix: a hardened enemy, increasingly sophisticated and deadly land mines, nervous young soldiers, powerful weapons and machinery, suicide bombers, the stress of multiple deployments, searing heat, unfriendly locals, unfamiliar languages.

The U.S. Army has concluded that adding alcohol to that mix is unwise.

But now, with the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, alcohol has been suggested as a possible causal factor in the killings…

And:

The military’s General Order No. 1 prohibits the possession or consumption of alcohol in five countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Still, alcohol finds its way onto bases and outposts, either passed from soldiers from other countries, smuggled in from local markets or delivered in care packages from home. Sometimes the alcohol is disguised as mouthwash — usually gin or vodka doctored with blue-green food coloring.

And:

An assistant secretary of the navy, Juan Garcia, said a pilot Breathalyzer program in submarine units had yielded a 45 percent decrease in “alcohol-related incidents.’’

The Moral of the Story?

Even in heavily disciplined environments, only random breath testing delivers!

Only random breath testing will find the illicit alcohol.

No one in Australia and the UK can point to a single harm minimization program that can instantly produce a 45% decline in Alcohol Harms.

In fact, so out of touch are the Australian Drug Foundation, that Mr Geoff Munro, National Policy Manager, hadn’t even heard of the U.S. Navy’s pioneering success.

And, he admitted he had nothing to do with the Northern Territory’s outstanding success with Drinking Licensing in Chronically Affected areas.

Nothing effective comes from the ADF.

I’ve repeatedly challenged Mr Munro to come up with one policy innovation that the ADF has come up with.

He refuses to believe a projected 5% increase in ethanol consumed, “despite” all the “evidence based” measures supported by Mr Munro.

Come up with it Geoff! All the programs that led to a population wide decrease of 45% of toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and addictive alcohol, that you recommended, and you achieved!



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.


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/


1.1 million people random breath tested in 50 days

12/01/2012

The efficiency and effectiveness of random breath testing cannot be doubted.
As part of its summer routine, Victoria Police via their vaunted Booze Bus Teams took control of our roads, barely inconvenienced a safe driver, and RBT’d an astonishing 1.1 million drivers over a 50 day period.
The Melbourne Herald Sun reports this operationOperation Summer Stay – put 2610 over the limit drivers – off the road. They lost their licenses.
How effective is random breath testing as a societal wide, behaviour changing program?
This is the quote that reveals the answer:

Mr Walshe said the drink-driving test rate of one positive per 432 motorists was poor, but an improvement on one in 332 last year.

This means that VicPol had to test 432 motorists to find and remove 1 drunk from the road.
Last year, they had to test 332, to find and remove their one drunk.
This number, by and large, keeps improving.
DUI drivers are being removed from our roads.
We need to keep up this good work and extend the same model of enforcement and behaviour change to our streets. To our entertainment (drinking) districts employing pedestrian random breath testing.
The model is proven! Beyond doubt.
Meanwhile, this humble site, made the big time in the US, featuring on reddit.com, the social media site, upon which a group called “crippling alcoholism” has been created.
This is the discussion.
Warning, the site link above contains a four letter word.
A lot of obviously distressed and unwell people on this site…
I did my best to engage, prior to being – politely – banned from the group.
I don’t wonder why! [Edit: Note: I've recently gone back to the site, and, showing a level of intellectual and cultural cowardice, this site has removed all my contributions with "[deleted]“.  Giving yet another example of why so many drinkers are totally unaware of the toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and addictive nature of their recreational drug…]
And thanks to producers and Louise Saunders of the ABC Hobart for the spot this morning on the discussion surrounding drunk driving / dui.
It seems that the idea of mandatory RBT machines in all pubs, thus enabling fewer surprises, better education via the audio visual education facilities these machines can bring, and of course, a totally unambiguous, easy to understand, maximum pedestrian BAC Limit, went down well with the listening public.

Mike


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.


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…


Press Release – Mike Cockburn Election Press Release No.2 – L I B campaign launch overshadowed

18/11/2010

The photo below was of our campaign launch on the steps of Parliament House, Melbourne, on Sunday.

Unfortunately, it clashed with the launch of a virtually unknown party – errr, I think their name started with L I B or something – at far more salubrious surroundings.
So, there wasn’t a lot of press about.

Fortunately, the real people were there.
The people were all families of murder victims and other serious crimes.
Gut wrenching stories poured out.
Completely rattled me, I must say.

Campaign Launch at Victims of Crime rally

Campaign Launch at Victims of Crime rally


I followed a mother whose son was brutally kicked to death by a pack of 10 – 12 thugs, who, as I understand things, managed to plead self defence!

The crime would be enough to destroy me, but the next couple of years of trying to obtain some semblance of justice for their boy, was in my estimation, at least double the trauma to these good, good people.

It’s very difficult to take a crowd from such specific experiences to speaking of something, that in contrast, appears general and even esoteric, but that was my task.

I had the support of Noel McNamara OAM, who has devoted a large slice of his life to supporting the families of murder victims, like his own family. What a guy.

After throwing away my prepared speech and shooting from the hip, i was profoundly moved by the support of people who, in their most dire hours, somehow find the space and time to be so giving.

A kindly looking man in the front of the crowd was particularly encouraging and to my eventual distress he was the next speaker.

He too had lost a son to murder.

He was generous in his support of the pedestrian 08 concept. If I got just a tolerance of my opinion, I would have been grateful, really grateful.

I’ve never felt so motivated to continue with this cause. If we can save just one family from this distress.

Why others are not so motivated is beyond me.

I hope to hear from you at some time in the future.

I believe the scones were not to be missed over at the other launch…

Mike

Mike Cockburn
The Pedestrian 08 Campaign


Press Release – Candidate Mike Cockburn will make Melbourne Safe!

10/11/2010

Text of press release sent earlier today:

Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:29:38 +1100
Mike Cockburn of The Pedestrian 08 Campaign is standing as an Independent Candidate for Legislative Council, Southern Metropolitan Region.


Responsible Drinking ends at point 08.

This is a single issue candidate whose issue impacts almost every aspect of Victorian Life.

Health, Law and Order, Education, Public Transport are some of the areas of Victorian Government adversely affected by the Binge Drinking Crisis.
Overseas students fear coming to Melbourne.
People standing against lenient sentencing need to recognise that our prisons could cope with longer sentences if beds were not used by alcohol related criminals.

Read the rest of this entry »


Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) – Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival booze up dangers

21/10/2010

ADCA pushed out a Press Release today: Reduce alcohol charged violence during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

In it they declared:

With the Caulfield Cup tomorrow and the Melbourne Cup approaching, the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) calls for racegoers to recognise the violent consequences that come from excessive drinking.

And:

“Every week some 60 Australians die and 1500 are hospitalised due to alcohol-related injuries,” Mr Templeman said. “This shocking statistic should really change unconcerned attitudes toward the excessive consumption of alcohol.”

But ADCA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), David Templeman called for:

“With 750 000 people expected to attend this year’s 2010 Spring Racing Carnival, it is hoped that everyone making their way to the tracks this year want to attend to see the horses, rather than to simply get drunk,” Mr Templeman said.

“Prevent alcohol-related violence by drinking sensibly – let’s eliminate opportunities for alcohol-related harm!”

All good here David, but, most drinkers have a massive problem getting their minds around the concept of drinking sensibly and responsible consumption of alcohol

This communication could have be vastly more effective had ADCA and David changed the last mentioned sentence to:

“Prevent alcohol-related violence by drinking responsibly – staying well below a Blood Alcohol Content of point 08 for non drivers – let’s eliminate opportunities for alcohol-related harm!”

ADCA should have demanded that:

  1. Racing Authorities ensure all bars have a plentiful supply of Breathalyser machines – for patrons to track their intoxication;
  2. Racing Authorities declare a committment to Pedestrian 08 as a condition of entry to the race courses;
  3. Racing Authorities publish highly visible information posters and handouts educating race goers about BAC levels and the dangers of increasing BAC Levels.
  4. The all visitors agree to Random Breath Testing as a condition of entry. This to ensure a violence and trouble free meeting.

Last year, ADCA claims that:

Victorian Spring Racing Carnival directly experienced …  alcohol-fuelled aggression where approximately 30 people were involved in a brawl in the stands after the Caulfield Cup

You cannot expect to get away with 30 person brawls – if it happens again- for two years in a row! – and not expect to see some serious injuries. Racing Authorities need to take responsibility now, for the behaviours of their drinkers. So many promoters don’t…


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.


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