NCJ Number
112381
Date Published
1985
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the results of fitting several forms of time-series models to alcohol-related accident data from North Carolina, Nevada, and four Florida cities in order to evaluate the impact of countermeasures enacted to reduce drunk driving.
Abstract
In Florida, the intervention involved heightened enforcement efforts in combination with public education and information activities. In Nevada, legislation was enacted permitting administrative suspension of a license at the time a drunk driver fails to pass or refuses the alcohol consumption test. In North Carolina, the Safe Roads Act of 1983 contained provisions for raising the drinking age, eliminating plea bargaining, instituting mandatory sentencing guidelines and administrative license revocation, and increasing server liability (dram shop provisions). Data for Florida indicate a decrease in drinking and driving accidents relative to control cities during the experimental period. In Nevada, where changes in law were not widely publicized, rates of alcohol-related accidents remained at a constant level in the months before and after the law went into effect. In North Carolina, alcohol-related accidents had been steadily decreasing for 15 months prior to implementation of the Safe Roads Act and continued to decrease after implementation. There was little evidence to indicate that this decrease was accelerated by implementation. However, the overall downward trend may be attributable to an extensive publicity prior to passage of the act. 1 table.