Attitudes toward mandatory ignition interlocks for all offenders convicted of driving while intoxicated

Introduction: Ignition interlocks are effective in reducing alcohol-impaired driving recidivism for all offenders, including first-time offenders. Despite their effectiveness, interlock use among persons convicted of driving while intoxicated from alcohol (DWI) remains low. This cross-sectional survey of U.S. adults assessed public support for requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DWI offenders including first-time offenders. The goal was to update results from a similar 2010 survey in light of new state requirements and increased interlock installations. Methods: Questions were included in the Porter Novelli FallStyles survey, which was fielded from September 28 to October 16, 2015. Participants were the 3,536 individuals who provided an opinion toward requiring ignition interlocks for all offenders. For analyses, opinion toward requiring interlocks for all offenders was dichotomized into ‘agree’ and ‘neutral/disagree.’ To handle missing data, 10 imputed datasets were created and pooled using fully conditional specification (FCS). Results: Fifty-nine percent of adults supported requiring interlocks for all DWI offenders. Multivariate analysis revealed that persons who did not report alcohol-impaired driving (AID) were 60% more likely to support requiring interlocks than those who reported AID. Having heard of interlocks also increased support. Support was generally consistent across demographic subgroups. Conclusions: Interlocks for all offenders have majority support nationwide in the current survey, consistent with previous reports. Support is lowest among those who have reported alcohol-impaired driving in the past 30 days. These results suggest that communities with higher levels of alcohol-impaired driving may be more resistant to requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DWI offenders. Future studies should examine this association further. Practical applications: These results indicate that the majority of adults recognize DWI as a problem and support requiring interlocks for all offenders.     

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.     

Predictors of conviction and sentencing of DWI offenders in a New Mexico County

OBJECTIVE: To analyze predictors of conviction and dismissal of individuals charged with DWI, and predictors of the sentences of those who are convicted. METHODS: Data come from the Citation Tracking System of the State of New Mexico's Motor Vehicle Division and includes information on all individuals who were arrested for DWI in San Juan County between August 1994 and December 2000. Independent variables were: age, gender, race/ethnicity, waiver of right to an attorney, court of arraignment, year of arrest, BAC, and number of prior DWI arrests. Dependent variables were: (1) conviction or dismissal, (2) jail or no jail, (3) incarceration/treatment or not, (4) fine or no fine, (5) length of jail sentence, (6) waived right of attorney, and (7) magnitude of fine. Multiple linear and logistic regression was used in the analyses. RESULTS: Use of an attorney is associated with reduced likelihood of conviction and, if convicted, in reduced likelihood of jail sentence and reduced jail time, but greater likelihood and magnitude of a fine. Native Americans were more likely than Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites to waive their right to an attorney. Native Americans were most likely to be sentenced to the detention/treatment program. BAC and number of prior arrests were each positively associated with increased likelihood of conviction and more severe sentences. There is also substantial variability in severity of sentencing among courts. CONCLUSION: Likelihood of conviction and severity of sentences are both determined by extra-legal factors, resulting in inconsistent application of the law. This may in turn contribute to a lack of compliance with laws related to DWI.     

Graduated driver licensing: the New Zealand experience

In New Zealand, on 1 August 1987, a three-stage graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that applied to all new drivers aged 15-24 years was introduced. The essential elements of GDL were a 6-month learner license (supervised driving) and an 18-month restricted license stage (with restrictions on night driving and carrying passengers). A blood alcohol limit of 0.03 mg% applied at both stages. EVALUATION STUDIES: Early studies indicated that young people were reasonably accepting of the restrictions, with the passenger restriction being the least acceptable. Problems of compliance with the restricted license driving restrictions were reported. Evaluations of the impact of the graduated driver licensing (GDL) on serious traffic-related injury showed that up until 1991-1992, an 8% reduction could be attributed to GDL. At this time, it was considered that reduced exposure was the main reason for this reduction. However, the number of fatalities and hospital admissions among young people continued to decline, as did the population rate and the rate per number of licensed drivers among the young driver age group. A further evaluation study showed that drivers with a restricted license had a smaller proportion of crashes at night, and with passengers, compared with drivers licensed before GDL. IMPACT OF GDL: These results suggested that GDL restrictions had contributed to the reduction in crashes among young people and that it was not simply a case of reduced exposure to risk. An update of the most recent crash statistics indicated that, compared with older age groups, the fatal and serious injury crash rate among young people has remained substantially below the pre-GDL level. This suggests that the impact of GDL has not diminished over time.     

An examination of the characteristics and traffic risks of drivers suspended/revoked for different reasons

PROBLEM: Prior research has demonstrated that suspended/revoked drivers pose a significant traffic risk, but until now little has been known about whether, and if so how, this risk varies as a function of the reason for suspension/revocation. METHOD: This study classifies suspended/revoked drivers into subgroups based on their reason for suspension/revocation, and then develops demographic and driving record profiles for each group. Separate driving record profiles are developed for the following traffic safety indicators, measured 3 years prior to the suspension/revocation action: (a) total crashes, (b) fatal/injury crashes, (c) total traffic convictions, and (d) total incidents (crashes + convictions). RESULTS: The findings clearly show that: (a) suspended/revoked drivers are a heterogeneous group, both demographically and in their driving behavior; (b) some suspended drivers, such as those suspended/revoked for a non-driving offense, have low traffic risks that are not much higher than those of validly-licensed drivers, and; (c) all suspended groups have elevated crash and conviction rates, compared to validly-licensed drivers. DISCUSSION: The implications of these findings for current laws and policies targeting suspended/revoked drivers are discussed, and recommendations for improving these laws/policies are presented. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: None.     

Preventing alcohol-related convictions: the effect of a novel curriculum for first-time offenders on DUI recidivism

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether DUI offenders can better avoid future drinking and driving by controlling their vehicle usage rather than by controlling their drinking. METHODS: Using a randomized experimental post-test only design, 9,571 first-time DUI offenders were randomly assigned to receive one of two 12-hour educational programs: a traditional DUI curriculum or the PARC (Preventing Alcohol-Related Convictions) curriculum, which uses a novel theoretical approach to preventing DUI recidivism. Whereas traditional programs focus on participants controlling their drinking to avoid future drinking and driving, the PARC curriculum focuses on participants controlling their driving. Instead of trying to control alcohol consumption after driving to a drinking venue (previously found to be a flawed strategy), PARC teaches students to make a decision before leaving home not to drive to a drinking event, thus greatly limiting the possibility of drinking and driving. Driving records were obtained from the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles using driver's license numbers to assess DUI recidivism rates among the students in the PARC and Traditional curricula for the first year following program participation and again at 2 years post-intervention. RESULTS: Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that offenders receiving the PARC curriculum exhibited significantly lower 1-year and 2-year recidivism rates than those receiving the Traditional curriculum. The effect was consistent across two different measures of recidivism, and across gender, race, ethnicity, and location. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the PARC educational approach may be more effective than the traditional approach in reducing DUI recidivism.     

New tools and strategies for the inspection of the psychosocial working environment: The experience of the Danish Working Environment Authority

In 2007 the Danish Working Environment Authority launched a new strategy to strengthen and qualify primary prevention of work related stress. Part of the strategy consists of increased inspections of the psychosocial working environment as well as the development and implementation of a new inspection tool, namely the “guidance tool”.Twenty-four sector specific guidance tools have been developed to help WEA inspectors assess psychosocial working environment problems in all Danish enterprises. Based on recent research, the guidance tools consist, in each sector, of the three to five most important risk factors (for example quantitative demands, emotional demands, and work related violence), as well as the most important preventive factors, e.g. quality of management, influence/control and training.During the first years of the strategy, an increasing number of inspectors have issued improvement notices regarding work related stress and violence, and there has been an increasing number of notices issued on several risk factors. For some aspects, the tools have helped increase the clarity and comprehensibility of the improvement notices and reduce the WEA’s time consumption per enterprise.The guidance tools seem to be a suitable and efficient way of assessing several health and safety risks concerning work related stress and violence thereby allowing the WEA to detect more of the existing problems. Future challenges projected for the strategy include continuously training all WEA inspectors in the proper use of the tools and continuously refining the tools – or developing new tools – based on further research and experiences from practice.     

Transdermal alcohol monitoring combined with contingency management for driving while impaired offenders: A pilot randomized controlled study

Objectives: In a pilot randomized controlled trial of contingency management (CM) and transdermal alcohol monitoring (TAM) with offenders driving while impaired by alcohol (DWI), perceptions regarding the acceptability of a TAM device, recruitment issues, and the impact of CM and TAM on alcohol use over a 6-week period were evaluated. The results aimed to inform the design of future trials and programs involving CM and TAM for DWI remediation.

Methods: TAM devices were affixed to 37 voluntary, community-recruited male DWI offenders with problem alcohol use. They were randomized to one of 3 groups: (1) CM; (2) alcohol use feedback (FB); and (3) TAM device only (CTL). Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered on the acceptability of TAM devices and recruitment, and alcohol use was monitored via TAM and self-report.

Results: The TAM device was perceived positively, with benefits for reducing drinking noted. Nevertheless, some of its inconveniences appeared to influence participant recruitment and attrition, including its large size and limited water resistance. TAM data revealed a significant main effect of time for reduction in weekly peak transdermal alcohol concentration (P = .02), with a decrease between means of weeks 1 and 6 (M = 0.15, SE = 0.02 vs. M = 0.09, SE = 0.02; P = .005). No significant group effect was detected.

Conclusions: TAM is a viable adjunct to CM with DWI offenders, though the TAM device used here may influence both study recruitment and adherence. These findings can guide the design of future studies into CM and TAM for DWI remediation.     

Management walk-arounds: Lessons from the Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout

Many companies understand that good management requires senior managers to spend time with front line workers. Some companies build into performance agreements for senior managers a requirement that they conduct a certain number of such site visits each year. The challenge is to make productive use of these visits. Safety is often a focus for visiting VIPs, but too often safety is understood to be a matter of “slips, trips and falls”, rather than the major hazards that can blow the plant or the rig apart. This paper will examine a VIP visit made to the Deepwater Horizon rig by senior managers from BP and from the rig owner, Transocean, just hours before the explosion. It will argue that, despite their best of intentions, these managers fell into the trap identified above. The paper looks at things that senior managers can do to focus attention on the most significant hazards.     

The deterrent effect of increasing fixed penalties for traffic offences: the Norwegian experience

PROBLEM: Many motorized countries use fixed penalties to deter the most common traffic violations. Fixed penalties are usually given at the spot by a police officer. If the offender accepts the fixed penalty, no court hearing or trial is held. During the years 1995-2004, the rates for fixed penalties for traffic offences in Norway increased substantially. This paper evaluates the effects on compliance of these increases. METHOD: Regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of increases in fixed penalties. RESULTS: For speeding in general, no effect of increasing fixed penalties can be found. For speeding close to speed camera sites, there is a weak tendency for the violation rate to go down. This tendency is not statistically significant at conventional levels. For seat belt wearing, wearing rates are found to increase as fixed penalties have increased. In recent years, however, enforcement of the seat belt law has stepped up, making it impossible to separate the effect of enforcement from that of fixed penalties. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: It has been suggested that the police may adapt to stricter penalties by reducing enforcement or by adopting larger tolerance margins for violations. Available evidence does not support this hypothesis.     

A decade's experience with the Scanlon Plan: A case study

This field study examined the operation and impact of the Scanlon Plan at a large manufacturing facility. An interrupted time-series research design, augmented by extensive qualitative data analysis was used to analyse the productivity and employment experience over a nine-year period. The plan resulted in modest increases in productivity and stable employment, while improving the overall union-management relationship. Through the Scanlon structure for employee involvement, over 5000 suggestions have been made. Moderate and consistent productivity sharing bonuses were paid.     

Preventing highway crashes by raising the legal minimum age for drinking: The Michigan experience 6 years later

Results of a 6-year follow-up of previous research evaluating the effects of Michigan's December 1978 increase in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 are reported. Earlier research demonstrated the immediate effect of Michigan's raised legal age in reducing motor vehicle crash involvement among young drivers. The current study examined 6 years of post-law traffic crash data, using Box-Jenkins intervention analysis methods to assess the long-term effects of the raised drinking age. Results revealed long-term ef- fects of the law similar to the initial effects identified earlier. Over the 6-year follow-up period, the rate of involvement in injury-producing single-vehicle nighttime crashes among drivers age 18–20 was 16 % lower than the level ex- pected, had the drinking age law not changed. Police-reported drinking driver crash involvement was down 19%. In contrast to many alcohol-im- paired driving countermeasures, the raised legal drinking age appears to have a long-term effect in reducing motor vehicle crash involvement among young drivers.     

Higher-order driving instruction and opportunities for improvement: Exploring differences across learner driver experience

Introduction: Few studies have investigated what guidance occurs during the Learner phase of driving, particularly during formal lessons. The objective of this research was threefold: (a) investigate functional and higher-order driving instruction (HO-DI) in formal Learner lessons, (b) explore teaching approaches within the context of a theoretical framework, and (c) investigate variation in these three elements of instruction as a function of Learner driving experience. The theoretical framework developed to guide this research integrated the constructivist Goals for Driver Education and self-determination theory. Method: Professional instruction was explored through naturalistic observation; 15 instructors provided GoPro recordings of 110 driving lessons with Learners aged 16–19 years (n = 96) at varying levels of experience: Early (<20 logbook hours), Mid (21–70 h), and Late (71–>100 h). Results: Employing a previously-developed coding taxonomy, instructor guidance opportunities were identified as 15% HO-DI, 73% functional instruction, and 12% untaken or missed HO-DI. Functional instruction peaked in the Mid Phase, while HO-DI was prominent in the Early phase suggesting missed opportunities in the later phases when use of silence peaked. Some elements of self-determination theory’s needs-supportive model were readily identified in teaching approaches, such as feedback. Conclusions: An understanding of functional and HO-DI, including teaching strategies, was established within the context of an integrated theoretical framework, with different trajectories across Learner experience identified. Teaching strategies reflected constructivism and self-determination theory providing theoretical support for these frameworks to be applied in future driver training studies. Continued research efforts are needed to understand how best to balance functional and HO-DI to maximize young novice drivers’ learning prior to independent driving, particularly during the late Learner period. Practical Applications: Naturalistic observation of current HO-DI and teaching approaches supports the feasibility of integrating recommended improvements arising from the theoretical framework within current practice, with practical implications for improvements to industry training.     

发达国家实施GHS情况及对我国的启示

本文研究了全球化学品统一分类和标签制度（GHS）在日本、欧盟、美国和加拿大的实施情况,总结分析了这些发达国家在实施GHS过程中采取的做法。结合发达国家实施GHS的做法,为我国实施GHS提出建议：建立GHS各部门协调委员会;进行我国现有制度与GHS的差距分析,评估相关法规范围内实施GHS的可行性;编写实施GHS的指南文件;合理利用“积木式做法”;编制GHS统一分类目录。     

New directions for exploring the consequences of proactive behaviors: Introduction to the special issue

This special issue introduces new directions for exploring the consequences of proactive behaviors. The authors summarize the new scopes of consequences, new social contexts, and new methods in this exploration. They also identify several limitations of the existing literature and call for more future research in this stream.