United States Department of Transportation
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Alternative Title:The detection of driving while intoxicated at blood alcohol concentrations below 0.10
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Edition:Final report
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Abstract:The objective of the research described in this report has been to develop training materials to assist law enforcement officers in the accurate detection of motorists who are driving while impaired (DWI) at the 0.08 BAC level. The project was composed of 13 major project tasks, conducted in two phases. During Phase I, a work plan was developed to guide all subsequent tasks, a comprehensive review of the low BAC literature was performed, interviews were conducted with DWI experts from across the United States, a data base of low BAC arrest reports was assembled, and two field studies were conducted (the ride-along and preliminary field studies). The analysis of archival, interview, arrest report, and field data collected by observers led to the identification of 34 driving cues and 10 post-stop cues for further evaluation. Five law enforcement agencies participated in the second of the field studies, known as the preliminary field study, by recording the driving and post-stop cues observed for all enforcement stops, regardless of the disposition of the stop; the BACs of all drivers who exhibited objective signs of having consumed alcohol also were recorded. By collecting data about all enforcement stops that were made, it was possible to calculate the proportions of the stops in which specific cues were found in association with various BAC levels. All archival, interview, and field study data were analyzed, and recommendations for draft training materials were developed, as the final Phase I task. A draft DWI detection guide, training booklet, and training video were developed based on the results of the preliminary field study; the materials included 24 driving and 10 post-stop cues. Law enforcement agencies representing 11 of the 15 states with 0.08 BAC limits for DWI were recruited to participate in the Phase II validation study. Participating officers reviewed the video and printed training materials, then completed a data collection form following every enforcement stop made, regardless of the disposition of the stop; the same form was used as in the preliminary field study, conducted previously. The validation study data were analyzed and a final version of the training materials, and this technical report, were prepared as the final Phase II project tasks. The results of the preliminary field study largely supported the 20 cues on the original NHTSA (0.10) DWI detection guide at the 0.08 BAC level, but found no cues that reliably predicted BACs below 0.08. The results of the Phase II validation study further confirmed the key cues that were contained in the original NHTSA guide, a few additional driving cues, and the 10 post-stop cues. The driving cues were presented in functional categories in both the printed materials and the training video: Problems Maintaining Proper Lane Position, Speed and Braking Problems, Vigilance Problems, and Judgment Problems. /Abstract from report summary page/
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