101569: DUI Policy

About the Course:

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) is a major contributor to traffic crashes and fatalities, with nearly 17,000 lives lost in the United States each year due to alcohol-related crashes. Over the last four decades the United States has joined the rest of the industrialized world in implementing a modern DUI enforcement system based on the well-established relationship of driving impairment to the level of alcohol in the blood. This has resulted in hundreds of specific changes in laws across the 50 states designed to deter DUI. This publication discusses the effectiveness of various of these policies, practices, and laws.

This course is from our series “Substance Abuse and Societal Issues”. The series is based on Knowledge Assets, published by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program.

Our other courses in the series include:

101568-Alcohol Retail Policy

101569-DUI Policy

101564-Increasing the Use of Smoking Cessation Treatments

101570-Substance Abuse and Welfare Reform

101563-Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Abuse Treatment

101574-Syringe Access Interventions

101575-Minimum Legal Drinking Age Policy

101577-Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Addiction

101576-Drug Treatment for Drug Abusing Criminal Offenders

Publication Date:

May, 2008

Author

Alexander C. Wagenaar, Ph.D. and Amy L. Tobler, M.P.H.

About the Author:

The authors are associated with the University of Florida, College of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially addiction counselors, psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about DUI policy. It is appropriate for all levels of participants’ knowledge.

Course Objectives:

1. Describe the effectiveness of license suspension policies, sobriety checkpoints, and policies directed specifically at younger drivers.

2. Identify the categories and types of laws designed to reduce driving under the influence of alcohol.

3. Discuss the effectiveness of lowering the illegal BAC (blood alcohol concentration) limit, imposing mandatory jail penalties, and mandating fines.