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Journal Article

Citation

Miller TR, Galbraith MS, Lawrence BA. J. Stud. Alcohol 1998; 59(4): 462-468.

Affiliation

Children's Safety Network Economics and Insurance Resource Center, National Public Services Research Institute, Landover, Maryland 20785, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9647429

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol-involved crashes cost society more than $100 billion a year. Sobriety checkpoints are effective in apprehending drunk drivers. This article compares the costs and the estimated monetary benefits from a hypothetical community sobriety checkpoint program. METHOD: The analysis is constructed around a hypothetical community with 100,000 licensed drivers. A literature review suggests that a generously funded intensive checkpoint program (156 checkpoints per year) can be expected to reduce alcohol-attributable crashes by about 15%. The benefits (cost savings) of the checkpoint program are calculated using 1993 alcohol-involved crash incidence from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Costs per alcohol-involved crash and the percentage of alcohol-involved crashes attributable to alcohol are updated from published studies. RESULTS: Estimated annual savings to the hypothetical community total $7.9 million. This includes $3.1 million for averted fatalities, $4.5 million for averted non-fatal injuries, and $0.3 million for averted property damage. Every $1 spent on a sobriety checkpoint program can be expected to save the community more than $6, including $1.30 of insurer costs. CONCLUSIONS: An intensive sobriety checkpoint program can save a community more in automobile crash costs than the program costs.

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