A responsible service training programme aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm was implemented in a popular entertainment area over several months in 1992-93. Another popular entertainment area provided a control site. A number of evaluation measures were used: breath tests on 872 patrons from selected venues; drink driving data; risk assessments; the use of 'pseudo patrons'; and knowledge and attitude changes among trained bar staff (n = 88). Compared to control sites the intervention sites showed an immediate pre- to post-test reduction in patrons rated by researchers as extremely drunk and an eventual reduction from pre-test to follow-up in patrons with blood alcohol levels > = 0.08. There was also a small but significant increase in knowledge among bar staff. There was no significant reduction in patrons with blood alcohol levels > = 0.15 or in the number of drink driving offences from intervention sites during the study period. Pseudo drunk patrons were rarely refused service, identification was rarely checked and non-photographic identification was accepted on most occasions. The less than satisfactory outcome is attributed to poor implementation of the training and a lack of support among managers. The positive results from one venue, whose manager embraced the programme, served to highlight the importance of management support. It is suggested that mandatory training and routine enforcement of licensing laws are essential if the goals of responsible serving are to be met.

ABSTRACT. Objective: The relationships between on-premise drinking places, beverage specific alcohol sales and drinking and driving were examined in a time series cross-sectional study of place-of-last-drink data from Perth, Western Australia. Method: At arrest, 2,411 drinking drivers reported their last location of consumption. Tabulated by 57 premises over 4 years, the rates at which individual premises were referenced as the place-of-last-drink were taken to reflect the relative distributions of numbers of drinking drivers coming from different premise types (hotels, taverns and nightclubs). The data were then statistically related to measures of premise types and characteristics and beverage specific alcohol sales. Results: Significant cross-sectional relationships were obtained between measures of premise types, alcohol sales and drinking and driving. Greatest numbers of drinking drivers came from taverns and from places selling greater amounts of beer and spirits. Significant longitudinal effects were obtained for sales of beer, proportions of high alcohol beer sold and sales of spirits. Conclusions: As a whole, the results suggest that, at least for Western Australia, outlets selling greater amounts of beer and spirits, and greater amounts of high alcohol beer, will produce larger numbers of drinking drivers. (J Stud. Alcohol 60: 47-53, 1999)

Compliance of bar staff with the Western Australian liquor law prohibiting service to drunk patrons was assessed through the deployment of actors trained to behave in a drunken manner. The serving practices of 23 licensed premises (19 hotels and four nightclubs) were examined. During 120 visits to hotel and nightclub bars, more than 350 drink orders were placed by pairs of pseudodrunk actors who ordered up to three drinks each on each visit. On placing these drink orders, pseudo-drunks were refused service by bar staff on only 12 occasions. The rate of refusal of service across all premises was 10 per cent of visits.. Partial interventions by servers, such as offering food or lowalcohol or nonalcoholic drinks, occurred in only four instances of the 120 visits. Qualitative observations and results obtained from a separate study examining a s u b samde of the servers who trained in remonsible service of alcohol are discussed. (Aust N ZjPublilic Health 1996; 2 0 2965)

The extent to which door and bar staff of licensed premises responded to possibly under-age patrons was assessed through the use of research assistants (young pseudu-patrons) selected for having the appearance of being under 18 years old. A total of 156 visits were made to 13 licensed premises: 1. before delivery of a server training program, 2. immediately after training, and 3. after three months. Staff rarely checked the age and/or identification (ID) of the young pseudo-patrons before or after training. However, a significant interaction was found between the sex of the pseudo-patron and the type of premises. Door staff, who were predominantly at nightclubs, were more likely to check the ID of female pseudo-patrons and hotel bar staff were more likely to check the ID of males. In most cases, however, nonphotographic ID was accepted. While some strategies are suggested, the strongest and most effective measure to prevent under-age drinking will be a more rigorous enforcement of existing liquor laws.