Drunken Driving Is a Persistent Problem but There May Be a Technological Solution
Drunken driving control efforts have sputtered out in recent years with more than 11,000 preventable deaths now occurring annually. Over the past four decades, public health officials have largely focused on changing behaviors — asking people to not drink and drive. But now, there are new auto technologies that can prevent them from doing so. […]
Another Pragmatic Public Health Decision
There has been much criticism of the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to let Covid-infected people who are feeling better to stop quarantining after five days and simply wear a mask. Most of the concern stems from the fact that up to 31% of people in this category will actually still […]
How Americans Learned to Condemn Drunk Driving
At a traffic safety conference in 1980, a Californian named Candy Lightner delivered her first public speech about a 13-year-old freckle-faced girl who had recently been killed by a drunk driver with several previous convictions. At the conclusion of her talk, she announced, “That girl was my daughter.” As Lightner later wrote, the press ran […]
Whoa, Tiger! Early Thoughts About Tiger Woods’ DUI
While details are still forthcoming, Tiger Woods has been arrested on the charge of driving under the influence (DUI). It’s hard to think of another public health problem that has gotten so much attention, that is so avoidable and that yet still persists. What are some of the likely reasons that Woods did what he […]
Drunk Driving’s Biggest Foe: Doris Aiken at 90
When someone dies a preventable death, there is no obligation for loved ones to become activists, aiming to stop similar deaths. It is enough to merely grieve for a tragic loss. But some people turn their grief into action, devoting countless hours to educating the public and creating change. One such person in Doris Aiken, […]