According to various estimates, alcohol kills - either directly or indirectly - half a million persons per year while smoking is estimated to kill between 330 000 and 500 000 persons. Almost 24 000 persons die in traffic accidents per year (MHSD, 2008, and Rosstat, 2009a). According to the RLMS,4 about three quarters of the Russian population consume some kind of alcohol, with more being consumed on average by males in all age groups and in the persons belonging to the 25 to 55 age group.