How SCRAM CAM Bracelets are Helping to Reduce Drunk Driving Across the World
The Government of Alberta, Canada imposes sanctions for drivers arrested with a blood alcohol concentration of .05% or higher. According to the Alberta website “Research on BAC sanctions has indicated that casualty collisions involving alcohol have decreased in jurisdictions with 0.05 BAC limits.” These tougher sanctions are imposed with the help of instruments like the SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) bracelet.
Reducing the legal limit to 0.05% has proven effective in other countries including Belgium which saw a 10% reduction in fatal drunk driving collisions the first year they reduced the limit and an additional 11% reduction the second year.
The SCRAM CAM bracelet is a transdermal monitor that is worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and tests for alcohol consumption every 30 minutes. The device is tamper-resistant and water-resistant. Any attempts to disable testing are immediately reported to the monitoring agency and could result in additional penalties.
According to their website, Alberta had 368 people killed in drunk driving accidents from 2012 to 2016 and 5,494 people injured. From 2013 to 2018 there were over 30,000 criminal convictions for drunk driving. The results are staggering, but there are strong indications that lowering the legal limit to 0.05% will drastically reduce the numbers. Additionally, there is hope that with continuous monitoring and swift sanctions for non-compliance they can reduce the overall figures.