Meanwhile restrictions on alcohol sales in Lithuania had cut the number of road accidents and injuries. In contrast, allowing late-night drinking had triggered a rise in physical assaults, injuries, drink-driving and other destructive behaviour, he said. Surasak cited statistics from Australia showing that extending bar hours had led to increased drinking and road accidents. Longer sale hours in Iceland also led to a rise in emergency-ward patients, injuries, quarrels, physical assaults and drink-driving. He added that Norway saw a 16 per cent rise in physical assaults after extending alcohol sales by just one hour.
