LICENSING AND OTHER CONTROLS OF THE DRINKING DRIVER

Because driver licensing is the only State program that has opportunity for routine personal contact with every driver, it has unmatched potential for both general and specific countermeasures. General countermeasures apply to large groups of drivers prior to the occurrence of any infraction. They may be considered basically preventive in nature and thus consistent with the view that drunk driving is a societal problem that should be dealt with at the societal level. General countermeasures that are license-related include minimum age requirements for driver licensure; special provisions for young drivers, e.g., lower thresholds for driver improvement measures, stricter limits on alcohol use, and curfew laws; minimum purchase/drinking laws; special reviews for driver licensure; alcohol education through license manuals and tests; per se laws; and implied consent laws. Specific countermeasures apply to the offender and come into play only after an infraction has occurred. They are more consistent with the view that drunk driving is a personal decision and that the offender should be punished and/or rehabilitated or re-educated. Specific countermeasures that are related to licensing include license revocation, limited driving privileges, medical review, and habitual offender statutes. The available research evidence for each of these countermeasures is discussed, but ultimately effective control of the drinking driver must include measures that extend well beyond what can be implemented through driver licensing programs and deal with the larger societal context in which drunk driving occurs.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared for the North American Conference on Alcohol and Highway Safety, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, June 1984.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599
• Authors:
  • Waller, P F
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 31 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Alcohol use; Countermeasures; Driver licenses; Driver licensing; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Implied consent laws; Laws; Legal drinking age; Per se laws; Revocation; Safety programs; Social factors; Traffic safety education
• Uncontrolled Terms: Implied consent
• Old TRIS Terms: Alcohol education programs; Driver license revocation
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00452022
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HSRC-A100, HS-039 202
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM