Alcohol Safety Countermeasures Program: Special Analytical Study

NHTSA · 1970 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Safety Bureau

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Summary

This 1970 report by the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) outlines a comprehensive countermeasure program designed to reduce alcohol-related highway fatalities and injuries. The study was motivated by the Highway Safety Act of 1966, which mandated a federal investigation into the relationship between alcohol consumption and traffic safety. Previous findings indicated that alcohol involvement contributed to approximately 25,000 deaths and 800,000 crashes annually in the United States. The NHSB identified a critical distinction between "social drinkers" and "problem drinkers," noting that the latter group—comprising alcoholics and heavy compulsive drinkers—accounted for roughly two-thirds of alcohol-related fatalities. The report argues that existing enforcement strategies were ineffective because they targeted the general driving population rather than this identifiable, deviant minority. The analysis relies on chemical blood alcohol level (BAL) data, legal records, and sociological studies to characterize problem drinkers. Evidence showed that while only 2% of drivers on the road at the time of fatal accidents were intoxicated, they constituted 53% of drivers at fault in those crashes. Problem drinkers were distinguished by BALs exceeding 0.15%, a level requiring excessive consumption (e.g., 11 drinks for a 180-pound man) and associated with prior criminal records, traffic arrests, and contacts with social or medical agencies. The report identified significant deficiencies in current state systems, including low apprehension rates (estimated at 1 in 1,000), inadequate chemical testing laws, reluctance by police and juries to prosecute, and lax enforcement of license suspensions. Furthermore, standard penalties like fines and jail time were deemed ineffective for individuals unable to control their drinking. To address these issues, the NHSB proposed a multi-faceted action program focused on identifying and regulating problem drinkers. The strategy involves four concurrent steps: research and development of new countermeasures; public education campaigns distinguishing problem drinkers from social drinkers; comprehensive community alcohol safety action projects; and federal assistance to states under Section 402 of the Highway Safety Act. Specific interventions include improved identification of unfit drivers through medical and legal records, individualized license evaluations by licensing agencies, intensified apprehension and prosecution efforts, and specialized counseling or treatment programs. The report cites European successes, such as a 33% reduction in nighttime alcohol-related injuries in Britain, to support the feasibility of such interventions. The significance of this report lies in its shift from generalized public education to targeted regulatory control of a specific high-risk population. By framing problem drinkers as an identifiable group with distinct behavioral and legal markers, the NHSB argued that significant reductions in fatalities were achievable without altering the habits of the majority of social drinkers. The proposed program emphasized federal leadership to coordinate state efforts, improve inter-agency data sharing, and implement stricter controls on driving privileges until treatment was successful. This approach laid the groundwork for modern alcohol safety initiatives, prioritizing identification, treatment, and regulatory enforcement over punitive measures alone.

Key finding

Problem drinkers with blood alcohol levels above 0.15 percent and prior records of alcohol-related offenses are identified as the primary cause of fatal crashes, necessitating a targeted countermeasure program focused on their identification and restriction.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• dui enforcement
• alcohol detection systems
• drowsy as impairment

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