NCJ Number
114038
Journal
Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 48 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1987) Pages: 476-482
Date Published
1987
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This evaluation of Great Britain's 1983 'Christmas Crusade' against drunk drivers concludes that deterrent interventions involving highly publicized campaigns and an increase in the certainty of punishment for drunk driving can be effective in reducing traffic fatalities over a limited time period.
Abstract
The crusade involved a more focused punishment threat for drunk drivers than in previous years, and local police agencies implemented traditional Christmas crackdowns on drunk driving in accordance with the government's publicity campaign throughout the United Kingdom. Just prior to Christmas, the press published a number of articles that fueled public perceptions of harsher and more certain punishments for drunk drivers. To test the hypothesis that the crusade reduced drunk driving, this study analyzed the index of total automobile crash-related fatalities during the month of the crusade. Data indicate that the index declined significantly during the crusade. This finding confirms the conclusion of a growing literature that amply publicized efforts to increase the risk of apprehension and conviction for drunk driving can deter drunk driving. 1 table, 4 references. (Author abstract modified)