THE PSYCHIATRIST'S ROLE IN COMBATING DRUNKEN DRIVING

The activities of the San Antonio (TX) Alcohol Safety Action Project (ASAP), established in 1970, include public information and education services, intensified law enforcement of driving-while- intoxicated laws, increased coordination within the judiciary system, Alcohol Instruction and Driver Education (AIDE), and presentence psychosocial evaluation of all convicted offenders. The evaluation is done to assess whether the driver has any social or psychological pathology, to recommend court actions in treatment and rehabilitation, to make referrals to medical and social agencies, and to maintain liaison with the court, the driver and the social agencies. Drivers who have alcohol problems are interviewed by a psychiatric team. Of 2,400 drunken-driving arrests during the first 6 months of 1972, the cases of 100 referred drivers (mean age 37, 5 women) were closely studied. The group averaged 8.4 years of formal education; the 78% who were working had an annual income of $7000 or less; 58% of the men were married. Beer was the preferred primary beverage of 78. The blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest averaged 0.19% (range, 0.10 to 0.34%). Previous arrests for alcohol-related offenses averaged 4.2 (range 0 to 47). Brain syndrome was suspected in 40 and partly confirmed in 11 of them by the Bender-Gestalt test; 15 needed immediate psychiatric intervention, underscoring the need for psychiatric involvement in countermeasures programs. All 100 drivers were referred to AIDE school, 15 to an alcoholism treatment program, 37 to the community mental health center and 19 to private care. It was recommended that 5 of the group never drive and that 30 have some restrictions on their driving. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Canadian Psychologist

  Montreal 109, PQ  Canada 
• Authors:
  • NATHAN, H
  • Turnbull, J
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 381-385
• Serial:
  • Volume: 19

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arrests; Blood alcohol levels; Driver rehabilitation; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Interviewing; Law enforcement; Personal rapid transit; Psychiatry
• Identifier Terms: Alcohol Safety Action Program
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rehabilitation
• Old TRIS Terms: Asap (Alcohol safety action program)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00152374
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1977 12:00AM