Citation

Fell JC, Scherer M. Traffic Injury Prev. 2017; 18(6): 577-584.

Affiliation

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation , 11720 Beltsville Drive, Suite 900, Calverton , MD 20705 , United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15389588.2017.1293257

PMID

28436732

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Administrative license revocation (ALR) laws, which provide that the license of a driver with a blood alcohol concentration at or over the illegal limit is subject to an immediate suspension by the state department of motor vehicles, are an example of a traffic law in which the sanction rapidly follows the offense. The power of ALR laws has been attributed to how swiftly the sanction is applied, but does the length of suspension matter? Our objectives were to (a) determine the relationship of the ALR suspension length to the prevalence of drinking drivers relative to sober drivers in fatal crashes and (b) estimate the extent that the relationship is associated to the general deterrent effect compared to the specific deterrent effect of the law.

METHODS: Data comparing the impact of ALR law implementation and ALR law suspension periods were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques on the ratio of drinking drivers to non-drinking drivers in fatal crashes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

RESULTS: States with an ALR law with a short suspension period (1-30 days) had a significantly lower drinking driver ratio than states with no ALR law. States with a suspension period of 91-180 days had significantly lower ratios than states with shorter suspension periods, while the three states with suspension lengths of 181 days or longer had significantly lower ratios than states with shorter suspension periods.

DISCUSSION: The implementation of any ALR law was associated with a 13.1% decrease in the drinking/non-drinking driver fatal crash ratio but only a 1.8% decrease in the intoxicated /non-intoxicated fatal crash ratio. The ALR laws and suspension lengths had a significant general deterrent effect, but no specific deterrent effect. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: States might want to keep (or adopt) ALR laws for their general deterrent effects and pursue alternatives for specific deterrent effects. States with short ALR suspension periods should consider lengthening them to 91 days or longer.

Language: en

Keywords

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS); administrative license revocation (ALR) laws; drinking driver ratio; license suspension length