The Effect of Lowering the Legal Drink‐Drive Limit on the Toxicological Findings in Driver Fatalities: A Comparison of Two Jurisdictions,

In December 2014, the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in both Scotland and New Zealand was reduced from 80 to 50 mg/100 mL. This paper reports a retrospective study comparing changes in the toxicological findings in deceased drivers and motorcyclists before and after the limit change in both jurisdictions. A year of fatal motor vehicle crashes prior to and following the limit change is examined for both countries. In Scotland, there was an increase in drug prevalence among fatally injured drivers and motorcyclists, with the use of all drug groups increasing after the limit change, with the exception of cannabinoids. In New Zealand, there was a reduction in cases involving drugs only, but increases in the numbers of deceased drivers and motorcyclists positive for alcohol only and co‐using alcohol and drugs.     

“醉酒型”危险驾驶罪的量刑标准——以司法理性与审判效率的契合为视角

鉴于＂醉酒型＂危险驾驶罪在《刑法修正案（八）》施行一年之际暴露出的诸多困境,司法实践应从出罪途径和量刑标准两个方面来破解定罪界限与量刑失衡现状：通过反证抽象危险的不存在及适用总则第13条来构建合理的出罪路径,以期坚守司法理性和刑法的谦抑性;通过量刑规范化来统一量刑标准和程序参与,确定从量刑起点直至宣告刑中各个环节的标准和影响幅度。从而＂以看得见的形式＂实现量刑的规范和公正,最大限度地实现司法的公正、效率和社会认可。     

中朝金融合作的驱动因素与对策分析

2000年以来,中朝双边经贸关系迅速发展,人民币跨境流动规模不断扩大,但双方金融合作滞后于经贸合作,制约了经济资源在两国间的流动和有效配置。加强金融合作应立足于中朝经贸合作的长远规划,加强中朝双方中央银行的沟通与合作;推动双方边境地区的金融合作;发挥双方银行结算主渠道作用;加强双方金融监管合作;以"两岛一区"经贸合作带动双方金融合作。     

A Review of Alcohol‐Impaired Driving: The Role of Blood Alcohol Concentration and Complexity of the Driving Task

The operation of a motor vehicle requires the integrity of sensory, motor, and intellectual faculties. Impairment of these faculties following the consumption of alcohol has been studied extensively through laboratory, closed‐course and on‐road driving, and epidemiological studies. The scientific literature was reviewed critically, with a focus on low‐to‐moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BAC ≤ 0.100%), to identify the most reliable determinants of alcohol‐impaired driving. Variables such as age, gender, driving skill, and tolerance were shown to have limited impact on impairment. It was concluded the most relevant variables are BAC and complexity of the driving task. The scientific literature provides a high degree of confidence to support the conclusion that a BAC of 0.050% impairs faculties required in the operation of a motor vehicle. Whether impairment is apparent depends upon the complexity of the driving task, which applies to both study design and actual driving.     

Predicting motor vehicle crash involvement from a personality measure and a driving knowledge test

Typically, safety‐related driver education programs are aimed at changing knowledge of vehicle operation rules and regulations. However, vehicle crashes are as likely to be related to driver personality variables as they are to the knowledge of vehicle operation and rules and regulations. In a study with 48 licensed drivers, crashes were found to be significantly correlated with conscientiousness, a five‐factor model personality dimension, but not with scores on a driving knowledge test. It would appear that prevention efforts should also be directed at changing conscientiousness‐related behaviors, including an emphasis on goal‐setting, and following rules and regulations.     

机动车行驶安全距离的判断

机动车能否安全行驶,在一定程度上取决于机动车驾驶人掌握行驶安全距离的能力。机动车行驶安全距离是指从发现障碍开始制动,到最后完全停止所行驶的距离,它包含纵向行驶安全距离和横向行驶安全间距。纵向行驶安全距离取决于制动停车距离;横向行驶安全距离应根据路面的不同、气候的变化灵活掌握。由此可见,机动车驾驶人必须根据机动车的行驶速度、道路状况、气候条件、装载状况等因素,灵活掌握机动车的行驶安全距离,以充分保证其行驶的安全性。     

The modern trends in alcohol, drugs and driving research

Research on alcohol, drugs and driving can be broadly separated into experimental and epidemiological studies. Every approach has its inherent advantages and disadvantages. Experimental studies can result in an interpretation by single cause, but can only identify potential risks, and the results can sometimes be of limited value because of the use of non-realistic doses or because of the drug use history or inter-individual differences of the volunteers. Recent studies have used higher, more realistic doses and paid more attention to the combination of alcohol and drugs and have shown that the chronic use of illicit drugs can be associated with some cognitive and/or psychomotor impairment, and can lead to a decrease in driving performance even when the subject is no longer intoxicated.Epidemiological studies include roadside surveys, studies in a subset of drivers, accident risk studies, responsibility analyses, surveys and pharmaco-epidemiological studies. Between studies, results may be incomparable due to testing different populations, different kinds of samples, etc. More large-scale roadside studies are conducted now.Advances in analytical toxicology have also contributed to a better understanding of the risks associated with driving under the influence. While older studies measured the inactive metabolite THC-COOH and did not show an increased risk in cannabis-positive drivers, more recent studies measured the active THC in blood and did show a concentration dependent increase in crash risk. The use of LC–MS/MS has allowed more broad-range screening as this technique can measure many different drugs in a small sample volume. While some older studies used saliva but had many analytical problems (including an insufficient sample volume in up to a third of the cases), newer methods of saliva sampling and analysis give better results. The use of saliva for roadside surveys allows non-invasive sampling, but the lack of correlation with the concentrations in blood makes interpretation of results difficult.The results of both epidemiological and experimental studies should be combined to obtain a good estimate of the impact of certain drugs on driving performance and accident risk. In 2006–07 a committee of international experts drafted guidelines for future research into drugs and driving. These have been taken on board by the DRUID project, a large-scale EU funded project on driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol and medicines.     

培养高素质的驾驶员是驾校的神圣职责

确保道路交通安全是一项系统工程,人、车、路三大要素均对道路交通安全产生重大影响,而驾驶员的因素居于首位,是起决定性作用的因素。文章仅分析驾驶员的因素对道路交通安全的影响,以及从何处人手提高驾驶员的素质,遏制交通事故的发生。     

The Rise of China: The Sustained Development of the World System or the End of It? *

It has been a controversial issue in the past thirty-odd years in academic circles at home and abroad whether China’s economic rise as a unique development model sustains and supplements the world system or brings an end to it. This article makes an analysis of the basic features of the three historical stages of the world system established 500 years ago from the perspective of the relationship between the world system and the rise and fall of countries. The analysis finds that the stages of mercantilism (1500-1750/1800), liberal economy (1800/1850-1914/1945) and mixed economy (1945-2030) were mainly based respectively on “geographical discovery” and “colonialism,” “industrial revolution” and “free trade,” and “economic globalization” and “system innovation.” For the above-mentioned reasons, “geographical discovery,” “international trade and finance,” “science and technology” and “international institutions and mechanisms” are the four fundamental driving forces that the world system has depended on for its existence for 500 years. The world system provided a context for the rise and fall of each individual country in the past 500 years, while the economic success China has achieved in the past three decades mainly benefits from its constant integration into this world system still in existence today. Therefore, the challenge to China in its future development will come, to a great extent, from the world system and its impact on China’s domestic politics, economy and social structure.