DETERRENCE REGAINED: THE CHESHIRE CONSTABULARY'S "BREATHALYSER BLITZ" (DRUNK DRIVING ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN, ENGLAND)
Application of interrupted time-series methodology to data collected during the "breathalyser blitz" in Cheshire, England demonstrated that the initial effectiveness of the Road Safety Act of 1967 was revived by the publicized local drunk driving enforcement campaign. The Road Safety Act defined a legal blood alcohol level limit and procedures to follow for demonstration of the offense (breath and blood tests). The Act permitted, but did not require, police to administer breath tests to drivers involved in accidents, violating traffic laws, or suspected of driving under the influence. The Cheshire campaign, on the other hand, required testing in all permissible situations. There was a statistically significant drop in serious and fatal traffic accidents in September 1975, the month of the campaign, compared with periods before and after. There was also a sharp decline in total accidents during drinking hours and an increase during nondrinking hours. There is evidence that the campaign had a residual effect on police decisions to require a breath test. Total tests averaged between 100 and 250 per month through 1974 and early 1975; they reached more than 1600 during the campaign; from October 1975 through March 1976, they varied from 250 to 350 per month. The level of breath testing during the Cheshire blitz was roughly six times the per capita national figure.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Sponsored by Hughes Research and Development Fund (University of Denver Law School and Oxford University Centre for Socio-Legal Studies).
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Corporate Authors:
University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL United States 60637-2954 -
Authors:
- Ross, H L
- Publication Date: 1977-1
Media Info
- Features: References;
- Pagination: p. 241-249
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Serial:
- JOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES
- Volume: 6
- Issue Number: 1
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alcohol breath tests; Before and after studies; Blood alcohol levels; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Foreign; Governments; Safety; Traffic law enforcement
- Uncontrolled Terms: Deterrents
- Old TRIS Terms: Breathalyzers
- Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00379503
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-030 214
- Files: HSL, USDOT
- Created Date: Nov 30 1983 12:00AM