Alcohol in America Taking Action to Prevent Abuse (1985) / Chapter Skim
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3. Preventing Drunk Driving
3. Preventing Drunk Driving
Pages 32-44
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From page 32... ...
Together with the law, these strategies can have a major effect. There can be no question that alcohol is a major contributor to the problem of traffic safety in the United States.
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From page 33... ...
These studies compared the blood alcohol levels of drivers involved in accidents with the blood alcohol levels of drivers not involved in accidents (this latter control group was randomly
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From page 34... ...
Nationwide, a 24 percent decrease in fatalities would mean that over 10,000 of the nearly 45,000 people killed annually in traffic accidents in recent years would not have died. Similarly, the number of theoretically preventable disabling injuries (the most ambiguous category)
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From page 35... ...
The classic example is the British Road Safety Act of 1967. This act defined driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 to be an offense.
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on alcohol abuse concludes that "some moderately persuasive evidence exists suggesting that effectively enforced drunken driving laws will deter drunken driving and reduce accidents and
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From page 37... ...
Moreover, recent studies have shown that the speed with which drunk driving cases are decicled in court can substantially influence the effectiveness of new drunk driving laws. However, other research questions remain to be answered to determine how best to reinforce the ongoing shift of attitudes toward drunk driving.
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From page 38... ...
There a first DWl offense commonly results in imprisonment, fines of up to 10 percent of a person's after-tax income, or license suspensions exceeding one year. Anecdotal evidence indicates that these tough penalties are effective deterrents, but social science research has been unable to uncover any hard proof.
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From page 39... ...
If these people knew how much a person had to drink to be convicted, they might be more willing to convict others of the crime. To be considered intoxicated in most states, a person who has not recently eaten typically has to have four to five drinks within an hour (although this amount varies greatly for different people)
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From page 40... ...
. Evidence from the United States that a greater number of outlets selling alcohol causes more drinking is still inconclusive.
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These campaigns enjoy considerable prestige in the United States and have the potential to reach millions of people. As discussed in Chapter 7, however, evidence for their effectiveness remains scanty.
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From page 42... ...
To hint that people might drive after drinking even though they are not legally drunk might be seen as encouraging this behavior. For example, writes Reed, "It is known that drowsiness, one of the obvious effects of drinking, impairs driving ability, yet public information and education campaigns from government and private sources consistently omit such suggestions as taking caffeine, driving with the windows open, or playing the radio when driving after drinking (although it is frequently and accurately pointed out that coffee does not reverse the intoxicating effects of alcohol)
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From page 43... ...
As discussed in Chapter 8, the most efficient physical devices now available to make driving safer are passive restraints, including automatic seat belts and air bags. These devices would be more effective for drunk drivers than for sober drivers, because studies show that drunk drivers involved in accidents are less likely to use conventional seat belts than are all drivers involved in accidents.
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From page 44... ...
Higher taxes on alcohol, changes in the drinking age, responsible oversight by servers, educational campaigns, safer cars and highways, and steps to deal with repeat offenders all have at least a theoretical capability to reduce drunk driving. As we will see in the remaining chapters of this book, there are advantages and disadvantages to each of these steps, and the evidence for their effectiveness is not always conclusive.
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