Lithuania: Alcohol Law Improves Road Safety
According to a new study, the comprehensive alcohol control law in Lithuania is successfully decreasing alcohol consumption and related harms, such as improving road safety in the country.
The researchers studied the monthly number of alcohol‐related cases of traffic collisions and crashes, injuries and deaths, in Lithuania. The data was obtained through monthly data for 2004 to 2019 from routine statistics of the Lithuanian Road Police Service.
The study found that each implemented policy measure,
- permanently reduced the proportion of alcohol‐attributable crashes by 0.55%,
- permanently reduced the proportion of alcohol‐attributable injuries by 0.60%, and
- permanently reduced the proportion of alcohol‐attributable deaths by 0.13%.
The authors conclude that alcohol policy best buys including measures to reduce consumption at population level have had a marked impact on reduction of alcohol-related road traffic harm.
Alcohol policy in Lithuania – success story and role model
IOGT International has previously chronicled the impact of the comprehensive alcohol law.
Against all odds and with a broad coalition – with a leading role of IOGT International NTAKK – were Lithuanian law makers able to adopt a comprehensive package of scientifically proven, cost-effective and impactful alcohol policy best buy measures.
The alcohol industry fought tooth and nail. But the coalition of health professionals, wider civil society, young people, and major political parties and leaders managed to withstand Big Alcohol’s pressure. And the first results are highly promising: alcohol consumption and related harms are decreasing while government revenue is increasing.
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Read more on the study:
Alcohol Control Policy and Changes in Alcohol‐Related Traffic Harm