Citation

McMillan GP, Lapham S. Am. J. Public Health 2006; 96(11): 1944-1948.

Affiliation

Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, 612 Encino Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA. (gmcmillan@bhrcs.org)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2005.069153

PMID

17018830

PMCID

PMC1751802

Abstract

We determined the relative risk of alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents and fatalities after New Mexico lifted its ban on Sunday packaged alcohol sales. We extracted all alcohol-related crashes from New Mexico police reports for 3652 days between July 1, 1990, and June 30, 2000, and found a 29% increase in alcohol-related crashes and a 42% increase in alcohol-related crash fatalities on Sundays after the ban on Sunday packaged alcohol sales was lifted. There was an estimated excess of 543.1 alcohol-related crashes and 41.6 alcohol-related crash fatalities on Sundays after the ban was lifted. Repealing the ban on Sunday packaged alcohol sales introduced a public health and safety hazard in New Mexico.

Language: en