NCJ Number
101925
Date Published
1983
Length
69 pages
Annotation
The Washington State Substitute House Bill 665 (implemented January 1, 1980) increased penalties for drunk driving (DWI). It has resulted in increased DWI apprehensions and convictions and reduced numbers of alcohol-related traffic accidents, according to this study of data from 41 cities and 15 counties.
Abstract
Under this law, a person is presumed DWI if the blood alcohol level is at or above 0.10 percent. Offenders are sentenced to 1 day in jail plus fines and are required to attend alcohol information school. When data from DWI police, court, jail, and accident records are compared for the period prior to (January 1977 to December 1979) and after the implementation of the law (January 1980 to December 1982), they indicate an increase of 6.5 DWI arrests per month since the law's implementation. DWI convictions have kept pace with arrests statewide. Jailers report an increase in the number of DWI offenders in the jail population each year since 1980. After 1 year of increased enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration, the 41 sample cities have experienced a 20-percent decrease in the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents per month. The number of alcohol-related accidents per month has decreased 28 percent in the 15 sample counties. Graphic and tabular data as well as 8 references.