IDENTIFICATION OF THE DRINKING DRIVER

The study showed that alcoholics have a distinctive pattern of offences. They were significantly more likely than controls to be convicted of offences relating to drink-driving, danagerous driving, accidents, unlicensed driving and illegal use of motor vehicles. This pattern of offences extended to convicted drinking drivers and suggested that alcohol was an unrecognized faster in more serious offences. The repetition of drink-driving and serious offences (which were relatively uncommon) and the frequent high BACs of the drivers involved indicated that many of these drivers often drove while intoxicated. The determination of the BACs of the persons involved in these offences together with this pattern of offences should be used as a screening device to identify problem drinkers for subsequent treatment. License withdrawal was shown to be an ineffective answer because of the continued convictions of these drivers. The criminal records helped indicate that while alcohol was a factor in traffic offences there were other factors involved as shown by the different number of records among the alcoholics. The correlation between types of traffic convictions and criminal records, and the similarity of the types of offences among a driver's convictions, suggested that many drivers frequently drive or act in that manner. This needs to be taken into account by authorities dealing with prevention measures. (Author)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Kornaczewski, A
• Conference:
  • Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety.
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 239-247

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Driver records; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Problem drivers; Traffic conviction
• Uncontrolled Terms: Treatment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00132164
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proceeding
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 23 1977 12:00AM