Key Recent Milestones:
· Vietnam: Global Actions Vietnam conducted the third assessment of the drink driving initiative in Da Nang City on August 14 and 15, 2012.
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Global Actions in Focus: Colombia Drink Drive Initiative
Global Actions has successfully completed “Proyecto Patrullero,” a two-day series of workshops to inform police and other transit officials about new drink driving legislation in Colombia. Held in Cali on August 14 and 15, 2012, the workshops provided the latest information on drink driving regulations and presented information to build the skills and background knowledge of police and transit officials.
Workshop sessions were led by experts from Colombia and the United States and included information about the latest drink driving detection techniques available, with participants from traffic police, inspectors, and supervisors in Cali.
“Important changes to Colombia drink drive laws took effect in July,” said Global Actions Country Manager Mario Alberto Lleras. “Global Actions convened the seminars to clarify the new provisions for police and other officials in Cali.”
Speakers included Colombian Transit Expert Dr. Salwa Maria, who outlined the changes in the law and what they mean to drink driving enforcement in Colombia. Universidad de los Andes International Expert Dr. Carlos Carvajal presented on “Alcohol Basics and Drink Drive Crash Data” from Colombia and around the world.
The International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) consultant Jack Sullivan (in photo) spoke about the challenges of initiating drink drive prevention efforts and best practices for integrating sobriety checkpoints with public information efforts. Veteran Enforcement Supervisor Sergeant David Arenas provided practical training for drink driving protection.
The Cali Mayor’s Office and the Cali Secretary of Transit and Transport were chief allies in organizing the event, which was attended by university officials, Yumbo Mayor’s Office, transport companies, and concerned citizens. The workshops achieved training for 100% of the Cali Transit Police Academy class and their instructors. Results showed a 32% improvement in the background knowledge of alcohol basics and drink drive regulations for those in attendance as well as an 18% increase in attitude toward the importance of checkpoints in order to reduce drink driving, reaching 94% favorability.
Workshops for the cities of Bogota, Cucuta, Villavicencio, and Santa Marta are in discussion stages for September and October 2012.
What’s Happening Next:
· Mexico: Global Actions Mexico is hosting a “Train the Trainer” workshop from August 27 to 30, 2012 in Puebla. The training will be facilitated by Aguas Con el Alcohol, a local NGO and project partner, and is to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drinking and driving in young people, particularly those in high schools and universities in Puebla.
