NCJ Number
138473
Date Published
1992
Length
235 pages
Annotation
This book recommends that the drunk driving problem in America be addressed by a combination of criminal deterrence and other efforts to reduce the number of deaths caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol.
Abstract
The author notes that the basic insight of the book is that drunk driving in America is a predictable product of Americans' dependency on the automobile for transportation and emphasis on the liberal use of alcohol in leisure activities. Drinking and driving thus becomes a "natural" conjunction of two major social institutions. In a discussion of the deterrence approach to the control of drunk driving, the author contends that well-publicized law enforcement campaigns that increase the certainty and swiftness of punishment for drunk driving are more effective than highly punitive laws that the target population does not expect to be applied. This legal attack on drunk driving should then be accompanied with other policies that both reduce the consumption of alcohol and limit the number of unsafe drivers on the road. The consumption of alcohol can be lowered by increasing liquor taxes and restricting the marketing of alcoholic beverages. Automobile use can be reduced in situations associated with drinking by such means as the establishment of curfews on driving by youth and the subsidization of alternative transportation during drinking hours. Deaths currently associated with drunk driving can also be reduced by instituting measures that improve car and highway safety generally. 357 references