THE CONTROL OF DRUNKEN DRIVING: THE DETERRENT EFFECTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CONTROL OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN TWO COUNTRIES THAT BELIEVE IN STRONG MEASURES

Policies for the control of drunken driving and the resultant costs in death, injury and property damage have long been based on faith in the deterrence effects of law enforcement, on the effects of limitations on the distribution of alcohol, or upon the belief that sin should be punished. The empirical evidence in regard to the efficacy of such alternatives has been conflicting or lacking. Expert opinion has been contradictory. The impacts of alcohol consumption and law enforcement need to be separated and identified. The research reported in this paper is an effort, through the use of econometric models and statistical analysis, to distinguish between some of the effects of these and other influences on motoring accidents. The data evaluated is for Norway and Sweden, countries where strong measures are in effect. Time-series and cross-section data yield strikingly similar results when subjected to simultaneous equation analysis that is designed to interpret the perplexingly different correlations between observable data sets.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Presented before the Annual Meetings, Western Economic Association, San Francisco, California, June, 1976.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  Community and Organization Research Institute
  Santa Barbara, CA  United States  93106
• Authors:
  • Vatey, H L
• Publication Date: 1976-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 38 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Drunk driving; Econometric models; Law enforcement; Mathematical analysis; Safety; Statistical analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Deterrents
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168039
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 29 1978 12:00AM