How Effective is License Suspension and Revocation?

NHTSA · 1986 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1986 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report evaluates the effectiveness of driver license suspension and revocation as administrative sanctions for driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders. The research addresses concerns that license suspension is ineffective because many offenders continue to drive illegally and remain overrepresented in fatal crashes. The study aims to determine whether the loss of driving privileges serves as a significant deterrent and reduces crash incidence compared to alternative penalties such as fines, violator’s schools, or alcohol treatment programs. The findings are based on a review of studies conducted in four states: Alabama, California, North Carolina, and Washington. In California, a 1977 study compared multiple DWI offenders who received mandated license suspensions against those who avoided suspension by having prior convictions voided. The suspended group exhibited significantly fewer subsequent crashes and violations, a pattern that persisted for up to four years post-suspension. A 1981 Washington study evaluated a habitual offender act requiring five-year revocation, with an option to stay revocation for those completing alcohol treatment. The study found that neither the treatment group nor a control group showed significant reductions in crashes or violations, whereas the group with revoked licenses showed significant reductions. Similarly, a 1981 North Carolina study found that first-time offenders offered education and treatment in lieu of suspension fared significantly worse than those suspended. Alabama evaluations in 1983 and 1985 confirmed that mandating license loss for first-time DWI offenders clearly reduced crashes. Additionally, a January 1986 California study on implied consent law violations found that persons suspended for refusing chemical tests had 72.2% fewer crashes during the six-month suspension period and 57.8% fewer crashes in the 18 months following suspension compared to non-suspended individuals. The report concludes that license suspension and revocation are highly effective sanctions for both first-time and repeat DWI offenders, including those who refuse chemical tests. While some suspended drivers continue to drive, they generally drive fewer miles and more cautiously, resulting in zero crashes for those who abstain entirely. The evidence demonstrates that licensing sanctions produce significant specific and general deterrence, leading to substantial reductions in traffic crashes and violations. Consequently, the report recommends that alcohol education and treatment programs should be required in addition to, rather than as an alternative to, license suspension or revocation to maximize safety outcomes.

Key finding

Drivers suspended for refusing a chemical test had 72.2 percent fewer crashes during the six-month suspension and 57.8 percent fewer crashes over the next 18 months than non-suspended drivers.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• driver education effectiveness
• dui enforcement

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation