SCANDIANAVIAN MYTH - THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRINKING-AND-DRIVING LEGISLATION IN SWEDEN AND NORWAY (FROM EVALUATION STUDIES REVIEW ANNUAL, V 1, 1976 BY GENE V GLASS - SEE NCJ-38147)

• NCJ Number: 38154
• Author(s): H L ROSS
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 27 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY OF DRINKING AND DRIVING LAWS IN SWEDEN, NORWAY, FINLAND, AND DENMARK FOUND THAT THE WIDESPREAD BELIEF IN THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF THE SWEDISH AND NORWEGIAN LAWS WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY AVAILABLE EVIDENCE.

Abstract

THIS REPORT REVIEWS THE HISTORY AND CONTENT OF LAWS RELATING TO DRINKING AND DRIVING IN SWEDEN, NORWAY, FINLAND AND DENMARK, AND THEN SUMMARIZES THE ARGUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN FAVOR OF THE DETERRENCE HYPOTHESIS. THESE ARGUMENTS ARE FOUND TO BE WEAK AND UNCONVINCNG. INTERRUPTED TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS IS THEN APPLIED TO SERIES OF MOTOR-VEHICLE CASUALTY DATA FROM SWEDEN AND NORWAY WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE DETERRENCE HYPOTHESIS, WOULD BE EXPECTED TO SHOW CHANGES CORRESPONDING TO THE INITIATION OF THE LEGAL REFORMS IN QUESTION. THESE EXPECTATIONS ARE NOT FULFILLED. FAILURE TO SUPPORT FOR THE DETERRENCE HYPOTHESIS DOES NOT DISPROVE THE HYPOTHESIS, WHICH HAS THE MERIT OF COMMON-SENSE PLAUSIBILITY, BUT IT INDICATES THAT THE CURRENT WIDESPREAD FAITH IS WITHOUT FIRM GROUNDING. FROM THE PRACTICAL VIEWPOINT, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE CONTINUATION OF CURRENT POLICY IN SWEDEN AND NORWAY, AND ITS ADOPTION ELSEWHERE, SHOULD BE MORE TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO MORE SCRUTINY AND CRITICAL EVALUATION THAN HAS BEEN THE CASE TO DATE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)