Breath alcohol ignition interlock devices: controlling the recidivist

This study compares the recidivism rates of two groups of Illinois drivers who had their driver's licenses revoked for alcohol-impaired driving and who received restricted driving permits. Drivers in both groups had more than two driving under the influence (DUI) actions against their record within 5 years or were classed as level III alcohol dependents. Drivers in one group were required to install breath alcohol ignition interlock devices in their vehicles and drivers in the other group were not. The research found that drivers with the interlock were one-fifth as likely to be arrested for DUI during the 1 year the device was installed as the comparison group, which did not have the device. However, once the ignition interlock was removed, drivers in this group rapidly returned to DUI arrest rates similar to those in the comparison group. These findings echo previous literature. Additionally, the study showed that this voluntary program in Illinois reached only 16% of the drivers who met the requirements for installing the interlock device. Finally, this study found that individuals who were removed from the interlock program and returned to revoked status continued to drive. Within 3 years, approximately 50% of this latter group were involved in a crash or were arrested for DUI or with an invalid driver's license. Conclusions drawn from the study suggest that the breath alcohol ignition interlock device is effective in preventing continued driving while impaired. However, the large-scale effectiveness of the device is limited since most of the drivers eligible for the device do not have it installed. To have a significant impact, the interlock device must represent a better alternative to drivers whose licenses were suspended or revoked because of alcohol arrests compared to remaining on revoked status without having the device installed. Finally the research suggests that, given the rapid return to predevice recidivism, the devices should remain installed until drivers can demonstrate an extended period of being alcohol free.     

Breath alcohol ignition interlock devices: controlling the recidivist

This study compares the recidivism rates of two groups of Illinois drivers who had their driver's licenses revoked for alcohol-impaired driving and who received restricted driving permits. Drivers in both groups had more than two driving under the influence (DUI) actions against their record within 5 years or were classed as level III alcohol dependents. Drivers in one group were required to install breath alcohol ignition interlock devices in their vehicles and drivers in the other group were not. The research found that drivers with the interlock were one-fifth as likely to be arrested for DUI during the 1 year the device was installed as the comparison group, which did not have the device. However, once the ignition interlock was removed, drivers in this group rapidly returned to DUI arrest rates similar to those in the comparison group. These findings echo previous literature. Additionally, the study showed that this voluntary program in Illinois reached only 16% of the drivers who met the requirements for installing the interlock device. Finally, this study found that individuals who were removed from the interlock program and returned to revoked status continued to drive. Within 3 years, approximately 50% of this latter group were involved in a crash or were arrested for DUI or with an invalid driver's license. Conclusions drawn from the study suggest that the breath alcohol ignition interlock device is effective in preventing continued driving while impaired. However, the large-scale effectiveness of the device is limited since most of the drivers eligible for the device do not have it installed. To have a significant impact, the interlock device must represent a better alternative to drivers whose licenses were suspended or revoked because of alcohol arrests compared to remaining on revoked status without having the device installed. Finally the research suggests that, given the rapid return to predevice recidivism, the devices should remain installed until drivers can demonstrate an extended period of being alcohol free.     

A note on the effectiveness of the house-arrest alternative for motivating DWI offenders to install ignition interlocks

Introduction

The effectiveness of ignition interlocks at reducing drunk driving has been limited by the ability of driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenders to avoid court orders to install the devices.

Methods

In a pilot program in New Mexico, four Santa Fe County judges imposed home confinement (via electronic monitoring bracelets) on offenders who claimed to have no car or no intention to drive. Interlock installation rates for Santa Fe County were compared with all other counties in New Mexico over a 2-year program and 2-year post-program period.

Results

During the two program years, 70% of the drivers convicted of DWI in Santa Fe County installed interlocks, compared to only 17% in the other counties, but when the program was terminated, the Santa Fe installation rate fell by 18.8 percentage points.

Summary

Mandating the alternative sanction of house arrest led to the highest reported interlock installation rate for DWI offenders.

Impact on Industry

Impaired driving is a substantial expense to employers, particularly when it bars driving that interferes with employment. Interlocks provide a method of protecting the public while permitting the offender to drive sober. This study was directed at increasing interlock use by DWI offenders.     

Preventing highway crashes by raising the legal minimum age for drinking: An empirical confirmation

In recent years there has been increased interest in reducing the massive social costs due to alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. Raising the legal minimum age for purchase and consumption of alcohol beverages has been proposed as one way to reduce alcohol-related crashes among young drivers. Currently, many states are raising the legal age, in contrast to the trend towards lower legal drinking ages in the early 1970s. Recent studies of the effects of raising the drinking age are reviewed, and results from a controlled multiple time-series evaluation of the experience in Michigan are presented. Significant 11 to 28% reductions in alcohol-related crash involvements are shown to be attributable to the raised drinking age in Michigan. Suggestions for further research and discussion of policy implications are included.     

Driver's alcohol and passenger's death in motor vehicle crashes

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies on alcohol involvement associated with fatal injury in traffic crashes have focused on the drivers, but the passenger's view is not well known. This study (1) analyzes the relationship between passenger's death and alcohol inebriation of the driver and (2) estimates the role of alcohol as the cause of a crash by examining who was at fault, sober, or inebriated. METHOD: The study includes all motor vehicle passengers (n = 420) who died in crashes in Sweden 1993 through 1996 and were medicolegally autopsied. Autopsy reports from the Departments of Forensic Medicine, including toxicological analyses, and police reports were studied. Presence of alcohol among drivers was based on blood and breath tests. RESULTS: One-fifth of the fatally injured passengers and one-fifth of the tested drivers were under the influence of alcohol. The youngest drivers had the highest prevalence of drunken driving. Drivers at fault were alcohol positive in 21% of these crashes and drivers were not at fault in 2% of these crashes. In 53% of the crashes where both the passenger and driver were alcohol positive, the passenger had a lower alcohol concentration than the driver. Children (<16 years) comprised 15% of the killed passengers. Notably, the children were riding with a driver who was under influence of alcohol in 13% of these crashes. Alcohol involvement was not tested in half of the surviving drivers. CONCLUSIONS: The data show that 20% of both passengers and drivers were under the influence of alcohol. Increased testing of surviving drivers regarding alcohol and other drugs is recommended.     

Surrogate measures of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes: Are conventional indicators adequate?

The problem of alcohol-related highway fatalities has led a majority of states to enact new legislative countermeasures. Because few states consistently collect information on alcohol involvement in fatal crashes, the evaluation of the effectiveness of these countermeasures has relied on surrogate measures of alcohol involvement. Using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), this study addresses the following questions: (a) Which of the several surrogate measures used are most likely to reflect alcohol involvement in fatal crashes? and (b) Do the trends in these surrogate measures provide an accurate appraisal of the true trends in alcohol-involved fatal crashes? The authors conclude that nighttime fatal crashes are the best surrogate measure of alcohol-involved crashes, but that surrogate measures may not accurately mirror trends in alcohol-involved fatal crashes over time, particularly in small states or over short durations. All drivers in fatal crashes should be given blood alcohol level (BAL) tests to most accurately assess the effects of drunk driving countermeasures.     

Preventing impaired driving using alcohol policy

Considerable progress has been made in the reduction of impaired driving crashes during the last two decades. Much of this progress is attributable to strengthening laws against impaired driving along with vigorous enforcement efforts aimed at deterring impaired driving. In addition, many useful strategies can also be applied that focus on the control of alcohol availability, use, and promotion. Alcohol policies include controls on the price of alcohol, the location, density, and opening hours of sales outlets, controls on the social availability of alcohol, and on the promotion and advertising of alcohol. Enforcement of these policies is an important aspect of their effectiveness. These strategies have been shown to be effective or promising in reducing impaired driving as well as other consequences related to alcohol use and misuse.     

Mandating interlocks for fully revoked offenders: the New Mexico experience

OBJECTIVE: In New Mexico, between July 1999 and December 2002, the installation of an ignition interlock was an optional judicial sanction for second and third driving-while-impaired (DWI) offenders. This is a study of the recidivism of 437 offenders who were convicted and installed interlocks for an average of 322 days during that period. METHODS: The comparison group was a stratified random sample (N = 12,554) of the 20,949 offenders who were convicted during the same period but did not install interlocks. DWI arrest and conviction data for all study participants were received from the Motor Vehicle Department's Citation Tracking System. RESULTS: Only 11 (2.5%) of the interlock offender group were rearrested for DWI while interlocks were installed, whereas 1,017 (8.1%) of the comparison group were rearrested during an equivalent 322-day period. Survival graphs and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to compare the interlock and noninterlock groups during installation, after installation, and for the entire period up to December 2004. Results indicate a reduction in recidivism of 65% during installation. After removal, there was no significant difference in recidivism rates in a 3-year follow-up period. Following all offenders for 4 years, including both the period while the interlock was installed and the period after its removal, indicates that the difference in recidivism achieved during installation, though not increased, is maintained, so at the end of 4 years, interlock users still have lower total recidivism than nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of interlock effectiveness reported here is similar to those in other published studies with comparable samples.     

Validity of police-reported alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes in the United States between 1982 and 2005

Objective

To examine the validity of police-reported alcohol data for drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes.

Material and Methods

We determined the availability of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and police-reported alcohol data on 157,702 drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes between 1982 - 2005 using Fatality Analysis and Reporting System (FARS) data. Drivers were categorized as motor carrier drivers if they operated a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds. Otherwise, they were classified as non motor carrier drivers. The sensitivity and specificity of police-reported alcohol involvement were estimated for both driver types.

Results

Of the 157,702 drivers, 18% had no alcohol information, 15% had BAC results, 42% had police-reported alcohol data, and 25% had both. Alcohol information varied significantly by driver, crash, and vehicle characteristics. For example, motor carrier drivers were significantly more likely (51%) to have BAC testing results compared to non motor carrier drivers (31%) (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of police-reported alcohol involvement for a BAC level ≥ 0.08 was 83% (95% CI 79%, 86%) for motor carrier drivers and 90% (95% CI 89%, 90%) for non motor carrier drivers. The specificity rates were 96% (95% CI 95%, 96%) and 91% (95% CI 90%, 91%), respectively.

Conclusions

The sensitivity and specificity of police-reported alcohol involvement are reasonably high for drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which the accuracy of police-reported alcohol involvement may be overestimated because of verification bias.

Impact on the Industry

Based on the results of this study, the federal government should continue to work with states to strengthen their strategies to increase chemical testing of all drivers involved in fatal crashes.     

Towards an alternative criterion for the shipping safety of activated carbons: Part 4. The role of times to ignition

To the previously developed and implemented new criterion for the shipping safety of activated carbons is added a consideration of ignition times. It is shown that there is considerable support for the view that in the past shipments of such materials deemed on the basis of the IMCO/ISO test procedures to be subcritical have actually been supercritical, but that the long ignition times, exceeding voyage times, have prevented fire from developing.     

Older women drivers: fatal crashes in good conditions

PROBLEM: By 2030, there will be approximately 70 million older people (65+) in the United States, more than twice their number in 2000. This increase also represents an increased percentage of older licensed drivers. Thus, it is important to understand the special circumstances of how they may be involved in traffic crashes. METHOD: This study used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which is a census of all fatal crashes occurring in the United States over the last two decades maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to study the special characteristics of fatal crashes involving females older than 70 years. RESULTS: The results indicate that senior women are overrepresented in crashes that occur under the "safest" conditions, on roads with low speed limits, in daylight, when traffic is low (not at rush hour), when the weather is good, and when the roads are dry.     

Kinematics of the unrestrained vehicle occupants in side-impact crashes

A test series involving direct right-side impact of a moving wall on unsupported, unrestrained cadavers with no arms was undertaken to better understand human kinematics and injury mechanisms during side impact at realistic speeds. The tests conducted provided a unique opportunity for a detailed analysis of the kinematics resulting from side impact. Specifically, this study evaluated the 3-dimensional (3D) kinematics of 3 unrestrained male cadavers subjected to lateral impact by a multi-element load wall carried by a pneumatically propelled rail-mounted sled reproducing a conceptual side crash impact. Three translations and 3 rotations characterize the movement of a solid body in the space, the 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) kinematics of 15 bone segments were obtained from the 3D marker motions and computed tomography (CT)-defined relationships between the maker array mounts and the bones. The moving wall initially made contact with the lateral aspect of the pelvis, which initiated lateral motion of the spinal segments beginning with the pelvis and moving sequentially up through the lumbar spine to the thorax. Analyzing the 6DoF motions kinematics of the ribs and sternum followed right shoulder contact with the wall. Overall thoracic motion was assessed by combining the thoracic bone segments as a single rigid body. The kinematic data presented in this research provides quantified subject responses and boundary condition interactions that are currently unavailable for lateral impact.