Problems Facing Drink-Driving Counter Measures*
| Author | C D Robinson |
| Date | 01 March 1977 |
| Published date | 01 March 1977 |
| DOI | 10.1177/000486587701000108 |
AUST &NZ
JOURNAL
OF
CRIMIN()LOGY
(March 1977) 10 (53-59)
PROBLEMS F ACING DRINK-DRIVING
COUNTER
MEASURESo
C D Robinsont
53
Summary
The
social context of driving
and
alcohol consumption is examined,
and
the
manner
in which social factors can interfere
with
drink-driving
counter
measures
is reviewed. In particular, three widely suggested counter measures -driver
education,
random
breath
testing,
and
stricter legal penalties -
are
discussed. It
is
concluded
that
the
introduction of
new
measures needs to
be
carefully
considered in terms of the likely consequences,
and
it is suggested that
examination of relevant social factors should
be
amajor
component
in these
considerations.
There
is
ample
evidence
of the
decrement
in driver
performance
produced
by
alcohol consumption,
and
surveys (such as those by Hossack, 1974;
and
Tonge,
1972), suggest that as
many
as
50i
of
those involved in accidents
have
blood
alcohol levels in excess of
.05~,
the legal limit in Victoria. Accordingly,
and
following the advice of
the
Road
Trauma
Committee
of the Royal Australasian
College of Surgeons (see Hughes, 1975), Victoria in 1974
proclaimed
legislation
which
provided
for
the
compulsory testing of
blood
samples
from
all
accident-involved drivers
and
passengers,
and
also for
treatment
of
those
designated as
problem
drinkers.
The
effectiveness of this legislation has, to
some
extent,
been
hampered
due
to
the
hastiness which
accompanied
its introduction
and
consequent
problems
in
collection, analysis,
and
consideration of
the
large
numbers
of
blood
samples
which
have
resulted,
and
also
due
to
the
paucity
of facilities available for
treatment
of
problem
drinkers.
Even
so, this law provides apotentially
invaluable basis for definitive research into
the
extent of the
problem,
and
also
increases the potential for
enforcement
of
the
laws relating to driving
and
alcohol consumption.
Suggestions have also
been
advanced
that
there
be
renewed
efforts to
educate
drivers
about
the
problem
and
that
afurther
range
of
counter
measures, such as
random
breath
testing of drivers
and
more
severe penalties for offenders,
be
implemented.
It is no
doubt
fair to say
that
these initiatives
have
gained
considerable
momentum
since the introduction of compulsory
blood
tests for
accident
victims,
and
it seems equally reasonable to
credit
the
medical
profession with
being
in
the
vanguard of this movement. However, proposals for
·This
paper
was
completed
while the author was a recipient of dgrant
from
the Australian
Covernment
Department
of
Transport
(grant
number
191-503).
The
views expressed here are
those of the author
and
do not necessarily reflect those of the
Department
of Transport.
tBA (Hons), MAPsS Research Fellow,
Department
of Criminology, University of Melboume.
To continue reading
Request your trial