EFFECTIVENESS OF LICENSE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION FOR DRIVERS CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE DRIVING-UNDER-THE-INFLUENCE OFFENSES

• NCJ Number: 60647
• Author(s): R E HAGEN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 60 pages
• Grant Number(s): 057701
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Admin
• Corporate Author: California Dept of Motor Vehicles
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: INTERIM REPORT OF 'AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF NOT SUSPENDING THE DRIVING PRIVILEGE OF SB-330 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

Annotation

AN INNOVATIVE SENTENCING STRATEGY FOR DRIVERS CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE DRIVING-UNDER-THE-INFLUENCE (DUI) OFFENSES, IMPLEMENTED BY THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE IN 1976, IS EVALUATED.

Abstract

THE SENTENCING STRATEGY AFFORDED CONVICTED DRIVERS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A 12-MONTH ALCOHOLISM/ALCOHOL ABUSE REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN LIEU OF RECEIVING THE MANDATED SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF THEIR DRIVING PRIVILEGES. DURING THE EVALUATION PERIOD, THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND THE OFFICE OF ALCOHOLISM EVALUATED THE STRATEGY'S EFFECTIVENESS AS A TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURE AS OPPOSED TO MANDATED LICENSE SUSPENSION OR OTHER CONTROL ACTIVITY, AS WELL AS THE STRATEGY'S IMPACT ON PARTICIPANT LIFESTYLES. STATISTICAL ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED USING DRIVING HISTORY DATA FROM TWO GROUPS OF MULTIPLE DUI OFFENDERS. EACH OF TWO DRIVER GROUPS POSSESSED TWO OR MORE CONVICTIONS FOR DUI OFFENSES. BOTH DRIVER GROUPS RECEIVED STANDARD FINES/JAIL TIME, WHILE ONE GROUP RECEIVED THE MANDATED LICENSE SUSPENSION AND THE OTHER GROUP RECEIVED NO LICENSING ACTION. INCLUDED IN THE EVALUATION WERE 1,501 DRIVERS. THE ANALYSIS CONSIDERED 5 YEARS OF DRIVING PRIOR TO THE ENTRY CONVICTION AND 6 YEARS SUBSEQUENT TO THE CONVICTION. DRIVERS CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE DUI OFFENSES WHO RECEIVED A MANDATED LICENSE SUSPENSION EVIDENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER 6-YEAR SUBSEQUENT DRIVING RECORD THAN THE COMPARABLE GROUP OF DRIVERS NOT RECEIVING THE MANDATED LICENSING ACTION. THE TREATMENT EFFECT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUSPENSION OF THE DRIVING PRIVILEGE FOR MULTIPLE DUI DRIVERS DIMINISHED AT 42 MONTHS FOR SUBSEQUENT DUI OCCURRENCES AND AT 48 MONTHS FOR SUBSEQUENT CRASH INVOLVEMENT. MINIMAL TREATMENT EFFECT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN THE OCCURRENCES OF DUI INCIDENTS AND CRASHES FOR EACH GROUP OF DRIVERS UNDER 30 YEARS OF AGE, WHEN COMPARED OVER THE 6-YEAR FOLLOWUP PERIOD. THE SUSPENDED MIDDLE-AGE DRIVER GROUP (31 TO 50 YEARS) EVIDENCED A HIGHER FREQUENCY OF MAJOR TWO COUNT TRAFFIC RECONVICTIONS THAN OTHER AGE GROUPS OF DRIVERS RECEIVING SIMILAR LICENSING ACTIONS. THE OLDEST DRIVER GROUP (OVER 50 YEARS) RECEIVING A LICENSE SUSPENSION EVIDENCED A LOWER INCIDENCE OF DUI RECONVICTION THAN YOUNGER AGE GROUPS OF DRIVERS RECEIVING SIMILAR LICENSING ACTIONS. A REHABILITATIVE TRAFFIC SAFETY-PRECRASH COUNTERMEASURE SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO TRADITIONAL ALCOHOLISM TREATMENT. THE SEPARATE OR COMBINED USE OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR INCLUSION IN A REHABILITATIVE STRATEGY: LICENSE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION, RESTRICTED DRIVER LICENSES, AND REFERRAL TO OTHER PHYSICAL OR BEHAVIOR-ORIENTED HEALTH SERVICES. DRIVING HISTORY VARIABLES ARE CITED IN AN APPENDIX, REFERENCES, SUPPORTING TABLES, AND FIGURES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)