NCJ Number
84813
Date Published
1981
Length
198 pages
Annotation
This report surveys the international literature on drinking-and-driving laws to determine what is know 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.
Abstract
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, Candad, 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 nearly 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 controlling 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. (NTIS abstract)