es347fan
05-28-2003, 08:25 AM
Drivers Beware of the Drunken Australian Male
May 28, 8:14 am ET
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Drivers on roads Down Under have a new animal to steer clear of -- the drunken Australian male.
New research shows that two out of three road deaths among male pedestrians aged between 15 to 54 are to be blamed on alcohol or other drugs.
The report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that around 85 percent of the fatal accidents happened between 6 p.m. and dawn, particularly Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
In more than 30 percent of cases the male victim had simply been standing or lying on the road when hit, rather than actually attempting to cross it. Five out of six victims had a blood alcohol concentration over three times a driver's legal limit.
"Pedestrians must get the message that they need to be as conscious as drivers of the dangers of mixing road use with alcohol," Australia's Transport Parliamentary Secretary Ron Boswell said in a statement.
The report found only eight percent of the deaths could be blamed on risky road use by the vehicle's driver.
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Wow. Not a one of those guys had a drinking problem. They all knew exactly how to drink. They had stopping problems.
May 28, 8:14 am ET
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Drivers on roads Down Under have a new animal to steer clear of -- the drunken Australian male.
New research shows that two out of three road deaths among male pedestrians aged between 15 to 54 are to be blamed on alcohol or other drugs.
The report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that around 85 percent of the fatal accidents happened between 6 p.m. and dawn, particularly Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
In more than 30 percent of cases the male victim had simply been standing or lying on the road when hit, rather than actually attempting to cross it. Five out of six victims had a blood alcohol concentration over three times a driver's legal limit.
"Pedestrians must get the message that they need to be as conscious as drivers of the dangers of mixing road use with alcohol," Australia's Transport Parliamentary Secretary Ron Boswell said in a statement.
The report found only eight percent of the deaths could be blamed on risky road use by the vehicle's driver.
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Wow. Not a one of those guys had a drinking problem. They all knew exactly how to drink. They had stopping problems.