Review of the Literature Evaluating the Effect of Countermeasures to Reduce Alcohol Impaired Driving (1980–1989). Volume 1, Synthesis

Jones, R. K. (Ralph K.); Lacey, John H. · 1991 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report synthesizes an extensive review of impact evaluations regarding countermeasures to reduce alcohol-impaired driving, covering literature published between 1980 and 1989. Commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and conducted by Mid-America Research Institute, the study aims to assess the traffic safety impact of drunk driving interventions in the United States, with supplementary data from Canada and Australia. The authors screened scientific reports, journals, and conference proceedings, retaining only those with scientific validity. The analysis categorizes countermeasures into three primary classes: regulating alcohol availability, deterring and incapacitating drunk drivers, and treating and rehabilitating offenders. The review found that raising the legal minimum drinking age (LMDA) is one of the most effective countermeasures, reducing alcohol-related fatal crashes among the affected age group by an estimated 9% to 14%. However, no significant spillover effects were observed in other age groups. Other availability restrictions, such as banning happy hours or using breath-testers in bars, showed no significant highway safety impact, while increased alcohol taxes suggested potential benefits despite methodological limitations in existing studies. Regarding deterrence and incapacitation, enforcement strategies combined with public information and education campaigns yielded mixed but generally positive results, with some studies reporting nighttime accident reductions of 10% to 30%. Sobriety checkpoints were identified as successful in Australia and France, with limited U.S. evidence supporting their efficacy. Among sanctions, driver’s license suspension or revocation proved clearly effective, particularly when applied administratively and publicized; one study indicated a 70% reduction in accidents among suspended refusers. Conversely, the effectiveness of jail incarceration remained controversial, with some studies showing no effect and others suggesting that the certainty of sanction is more critical than its severity. Comprehensive statewide programs produced mixed results, often complicated by a lack of control states. The evaluation of treatment and rehabilitation programs provided weak support for their ability to reduce alcohol-related crashes. While some studies indicated reductions in re-arrest rates ranging from 10% to 35%, better-designed evaluations frequently showed little to no impact, whereas less rigorous studies tended to report positive outcomes. The authors note that rehabilitative sanctions may be effective when applied in addition to traditional sanctions like license suspension. The report concludes by cautioning that economic factors, particularly the recession of 1982, may have confounded evaluations conducted during that period, necessitating careful interpretation of results from 1981 to 1984.

Key finding

Raising the legal minimum drinking age reduced alcohol-related fatal crashes among the affected age group by approximately 9% to 14%, while enforcement combined with public information campaigns reduced nighttime accidents by 10% to 30%, whereas treatment programs showed little to no significant impact in rigorous evaluations.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• dui enforcement
• driver education effectiveness
• drowsy as impairment
• regulatory evaluation
• alcohol

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes