Background China has the highest number of road traffic fatalities in the world, accounting for 18% of global road traffic deaths. Drink and drunk driving is one of major causes of traffic deaths. As a result, a stricter anti-drunk driving law enacted nationwide in May 2011. Concurrently, the Road Safety-10 Country (RS-10) China project was launched in Suzhou in 2010, aiming to prevent traffic deaths from drinking driving through social marketing and enhanced police activities.

Aims/Objectives/Purpose To estimate number of deaths through observed behavioral changes in drinking driving in Suzhou 2011.

Methods To monitor the behavioral change in drinking driving, four rounds of observations have been conducted during February 2011 and November 2011. We used the traffic mortality ratio for drivers with BAC <20 mg/100 ml and BAC > 20 mg/100 ml, and elevated risk of drink/drunk driving on fatalities from previous research, to estimate the lives saved by the reduced prevalence of drinking driving.

Results/Outcome A consistent declining trend of drinking driving behaviors has been observed. The prevalence of drinking and driving has dropped from 5.66% in February (survey sample size: 2421 drivers) to 0.63% in November 2011(survey sample size: 5107 drivers). The change is statistically significant (p value<0.01). Consequently it is estimated that 6–10 traffic deaths could have been averted in 2011.

Significance/Contribution to the Field Road safety interventions implemented by RS10-China project are effective in reducing risky behaviors. Evidences also show a significant percentage reduction of drinking driving related traffic deaths.