DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LIQUOR - AN ANALYSIS OF THE AGE, SEX AND INCIDENCE OF SIMULTANEOUS OFFENSES OF DEFENDANTS IN MASSCHUSETTS, FEBRUARY 1979 - FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 57296
• Author(s): M B ROY; E GREENBLATT; T MCDONAGH
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Commissioner of Probation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE DUIL STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION OF DRUNK DRIVER DEFENDANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND TO ASSESS THE INCIDENCE OF SIMULTANEOUS OFFENSES BY AGE.

Abstract

THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PROBATION ANALYZED DATA BASED ON COURT RECORDS RECEIVED FROM 70 PROBATION DEPARTMENTS STATEWIDE FROM FEBRUARY 5 THROUGH MARCH 2, 1979. A TOTAL OF 1,795 DEFENDANTS WERE CHARGED WITH DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LIQUOR (DUIL) DURING THE 4 SAMPLE WEEKS. RESULTS OF THE STUDY FOUND THAT 13.97 PERCENT OF THOSE CHARGED WITH DUIL WERE UNDER 20 YEARS OF AGE. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE MAJORITY OF DUIL DEFENDANTS WERE ABOVE THE PROPOSED 20 YEAR OLD LIMIT. THE MEAN AGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 FOR MALES AND FEMALES. DEFENDANTS RANGED IN AGE FROM 15 TO 75 YEARS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BY SEX. YOUNGER DRIVERS (15-19) YEARS OF AGE WERE SHOWN TO HAVE A HIGHER THAN PREDICTED FREQUENCY OF SIMULTANEOUS CHARGES, INCLUDING OPERATION TO ENDANGER, USE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE WITHOUT AUTHORITY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY, SPEEDING/RECKLESS DRIVING, CRIMES AGAINST PERSON, CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, AND PUBLIC ORDER VIOLATIONS. DRIVERS 21 TO 25 YEARS OF AGE REPRESENTED THE HIGHEST ABSOLUTE FREQUENCY OF DUIL OFFENSES IN THE SAMPLE; 25.18 PERCENT OF THOSE IN THE STUDY FELL INTO THIS AGE GROUP. OF THE 1,795 CASES EXAMINED, 924 OR 51.48 PERCENT WERE SHOWN TO HAVE ONE OR MORE SIMULTANEOUS OFFENSES IN ADDITION TO THE DRUNK DRIVING CHARGE. THE DEFENDANTS UNDER 20 YEARS OF AGE WERE OVERREPRESENTED IN THE INCIDENCE OF SEVERAL OFFENSES, IF ONE EXPECTED THE INCIDENCE OF MULTIPLE OFFENSES TO PARALLEL THE OVERALL DISTRIBUTION OF THE AGE GROUPINGS. DEFENDANTS 26 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER WERE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE INCIDENCE OF MULTIPLE OFFENSES, AND HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH DRUNK DRIVING ONLY. THE 21-25 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP WAS OVERREPRESENTED IN SEVERAL OFFENSES INCLUDING OPERATING TO ENDANGER, SPEEDING/RECKLESS DRIVING, OTHER MAJOR MOTOR VEHICLE AND MINOR MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES, PROPERTY CRIMES, AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES VIOLATIONS. TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)