TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2002//
TI  - Alcohol-impaired driving recidivism among first offenders more closely resembles that of multiple offenders
JO  - Proceedings International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference
A1  - Rauch, W.j.
A1  - Zador, Paul L.
A1  - Ahlin, Eileen M.
A1  - Baum, H.
A1  - Duncan, D.
A1  - Raleigh, R.
A1  - Joyce, J.
A1  - Gretsinger, N.
SP  - 289
EP  - 294
VL  - 2002
IS  - 
N2  - Alcohol-impaired driving legislation and sanctions have historically been aimed at the offender with multiple driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions, with little or no attention paid to the first-time offender or to alcohol-related events other than DWI [such as administrative per se (APS) violations involving breath alcohol content (BrAC) of 0.10 or more, APS breath test refusal and probation before judgment (PBJ)]. It is a widely held belief among the legislature and judicial branches of state government that first offenders criminally convicted of an alcohol related traffic law are drivers with a single and isolated alcohol-related violation that results in arrest. This finding is inconsistent with published estimates that a person can drive while impaired by alcohol 200 to 2,000 times before being arrested once for alcohol-impaired driving (1-6). Moreover, some drivers manage to have their records expunged under certain conditions, and many state motor vehicle administration (MVA) offices routinely purge driving records after a set number of years. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the typical so-called first-time offender will have had an extensive history of alcohol-impaired driving by the time he or she makes it into the MVA's record system. The current research examines the relative risk of alcohol-related recidivism among drivers with one, two and three or more alcohol-related events (not just convictions) and expands prior research (7) using an updated data set. Our findings suggest that first-time alcohol-related traffic offenders are at a high and significant risk of reoffending even after one alcohol-related event and that alcohol-impaired driving recidivism among first offenders more closely resembles that of multiple alcohol offenders. The results demonstrate that any alcohol-related traffic event (APS BrAC of 0.10 or more, APS breath refusal, and PBJ), not just convictions, should be perceived by the courts, the MVA, and physicians as a marker for future alcohol-related recidivism. The results also suggest that relative risk among females is similar to the risk among males once females have had one alcohol-related event.<p /> 
LA  - 
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UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -