THE SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LICENSED ALCOHOL OUTLETS AND ALCOHOL-RELATED MOTOR-VEHICLE CRASHES IN GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA

This study was conducted to determine if alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes are more likely to occur near on-site, retail alcohol outlets , and to evaluate the usefulness of Geographic Information System (GIS ) technology for assessing potential risk factors for alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes. We compared drivers aged 17 years and older who were involved in an alcohol-related single-vehicle crash from January 1994 through December 1995 in Gwinnett County, Georgia (referred to a s case drivers), with those who were involved in a non-alcohol-related single-vehicle crash (referred to as control drivers). We used the Gw innett County Department of Transportation file to select case and con trol drivers and to obtain descriptive information on the drivers and the crashes. We used GIS to determine the distance between crash sites and on-site, retail alcohol outlets and to assess if crashes clustere d around outlet locations. We identified a total of 299 case drivers a nd randomly selected 331 control drivers. A similar percentage of case drivers and control drivers crashed within 0.49 miles of a licensed p remise (26% versus 24%). After adjusting for potential confounders, we found no significant association between alcohol-related single-vehic le crashes and close proximity to an on-site, retail alcohol outlet. S ingle-vehicle alcohol-related crashes are not associated with dose pro ximity to an on-site, retail alcohol outlet. GIS technology can be use ful for assessing potential environmental risk factors for alcohol-rel ated motor-vehicle crashes, such as retail alcohol outlets, and for pl anning public health interventions that promote traffic safety. Publis hed by National Safety Council and Elsevier Science Ltd.