Deterrence of the Drinking Driver: An International Survey

Details

• Creators:
  Ross, H. Laurence (Hugh Laurence)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Blood Alcohol Levels Drunk Drivers Drunk Driving Guides To The Literature Impact Studies International Laws And Legislation
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-HS-805-820 ; GPO-1981-341-428-1106 ; NTIS-PB81194235
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1525090
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final report
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Abstract:
  The report surveys the international literature on drinking-and-driving laws to determine what is known concerning their impact on driver behavior. Its particular concern is with reported adoptions of Scandinavian-type laws, which define the drinking-and-driving offense in terms of exceeding a prescribed blood alcohol concentration, and which are designed to create the impression of relatively certain, severe and prompt penalties for their violation. The review of the literature finds that Scandinavian-type laws have been widely adopted in the last 20 years, and that informative reports exist on experiences in Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, New Zealand, the Australian State of Victoria, Canada, the Netherlands, and France. There are also reports on enforcement campaigns based on these laws in several countries, including the United States. Evidence was found that adoption and enforcement of Scandinavian-type laws has early always produced a deterrent effect on drinking and driving in the short run, as measured by statistics on crashes and especially on serious casualties during main drinking hours. However, it was found that the deterrent effects are consistent with an explanation in terms of an increase in perceived threat due to publicity and newsworthiness accompanying the legal change or campaign, followed by learning through experience that the probability of apprehension remains low. The study provides hope that Scandinavian-style laws may prove effective in ontrolling drinking and driving, but it raises the question for further research of whether the level of enforcement needed for long-term effects is politically feasible. /Abstract from report summary page/
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTNH-22-80-C-07425
• Collection(s):
  NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Research
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:010e214b7ed22080e7ed7e1792de3b22f25a8e3fad1406ab3404ddbece5af3b2
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1310/dot_1310_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.44 MB ]