Every DUI practitioner eventually runs headlong into the "science" of DUI. Listed below are some of the scientific studies underlying tougher prevention measures. I found these at the Centers for Disease Control site (www.CDC.gov). I will check them out and let you know what I find.
Effective measures to prevent injuries and deaths from impaired driving include:
- Aggressively enforcing existing 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states (Shults et al. 2002, Quinlan et al. 2005).
- Promptly suspending the driver's licenses of people who drive while intoxicated (DeJong et al. 1998).
- Sobriety checkpoints (Elder et al. 2002).
- Promptly suspending the driver's licenses of people who drive while intoxicated (DeJong et al. 1998).
- Health promotion efforts that use an ecological framework to influence economic, organizational, policy, and school/community action (Howat et al. 2004; Hingson et al. 2006).
- Multi-faceted community-based approaches to alcohol control and DUI prevention (Holder et al. 2000, DeJong et al. 1998).
- Mandatory substance abuse assessment and treatment for driving-under-the-influence offenders (Wells-Parker et al. 1995).
Other suggested measures include:
- Reducing the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.05% (Howat et al. 1991; National Committee on Injury Prevention and Control 1989).
- Raising state and federal alcohol excise taxes (National Committee on Injury Prevention and Control 1989).
- Implementing compulsory blood alcohol testing when traffic crashes result in injury(National Committee on Injury Prevention and Control 1989).