Reasons Sought for Repeat Drinking and Driving [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA · 1996 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report addresses the persistent traffic safety and economic problem of recidivism among repeat Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenders. The study was motivated by data indicating that approximately one-third of all DWI arrests involve repeat offenders, and one in eight intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes had a prior DWI conviction within the previous three years. Since 1982, DWI arrests have exceeded those for any other reported criminal offense in the United States. The primary research question sought to determine when, where, why, and how individuals continue to drink and drive despite having been convicted one, two, or three times. The Mid-America Research Institute conducted the study for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The methodology involved one-on-one, taped interviews with DWI offenders in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Participants were selected based on having at least one prior DWI conviction. The analysis focused on identifying reasons for repeat offenses, the specific situations under which drinking and driving occurred, and instances where drinking occurred without driving. Additionally, offenders were asked to describe the countermeasures or sanctions that influenced their decisions to drive after drinking. The findings revealed that while a majority of offenders feared arrest and many ceased drinking temporarily following their arrest, the behavior often returned later. Jail sentences were viewed by participants as only temporarily solving the problem by removing them from the street, rather than addressing the underlying issue. Increased police presence, such as checkpoints and holiday enforcement, effectively reduced DWI behavior. However, most individuals with revoked or suspended licenses continued to drive, albeit carefully to avoid detection. A significant number of participants believed they could drive safely after drinking and did not perceive themselves as endangering others. Furthermore, many attributed their problem to their drinking patterns rather than the act of driving while intoxicated. The study concluded that changing drinking and driving patterns requires the individual’s desire to change and acceptance of personal responsibility. Contact with concerned individuals, such as judges or probation officers, was found to often lead to behavioral changes. Based on these findings, the report recommends a coordinated program incorporating several specific countermeasures. These include maintaining high levels of police enforcement activity and implementing intensive supervision probation to ensure compliance with court orders. The report advocates for combining confinement with treatment to address addiction and lifestyle changes. It also recommends thorough, personalized evaluations paid for by the offender to encourage examination of problematic behaviors, as well as mandated personalized reassessments over a long period to monitor repeat offenders. The authors emphasize that while offenders cannot be forced to acknowledge lifestyle problems, they can be encouraged to examine the behaviors that led to their legal involvement.

Key finding

A majority of repeat DWI offenders feared arrest and reduced drinking and driving when enforcement felt certain, yet most with suspended or revoked licenses continued to drive anyway.

Provenance

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• dui enforcement