| Abstract |
- Drunk driving continues to be a national, state, and
local problem in spite of recent changes in laws governing
drinking and driving. Driving under the influence of
intoxicants (DDII) has been judged to be responsible for
approximately one-half of all traffic related deaths
nationally, killing 25,000 Americans and injuring 700,000
annually. Not all individuals who drink are problem
drivers, and not all individuals who drink and drive
continue to do so after their first DUII offense. Yet,
there appears to be a percentage of drinking drivers who
habitually drink and drive and continue to do so regardless
of previous citations, arrests, accidents, alcohol
treatment rehabilitation programs, or license revocation.
The purpose of this study was to identify biographical
variables, as well as descriptive factors of arrest
circumstances and consequences, which differentiate between
drinking drivers grouped by total number of DUII offenses. The sample consisted of 397 drivers receiving one or
more citation(s) for DUII from January 1, 1983 through
December 31, 1983 in Benton County, Oregon. A ten year
driving history was accessed using records kept by the
Department of Motor Vehicles to determine the total number
of drinking driving offenses for each subject.
Additionally, DUII arrests occuring January 1, 1984 through
July 24, 1985 were recorded. The percentage of drivers
with multiple DUII arrests was 44.0%.
Data were collected for each individual using arrest
reports, driving records, and court records. A total of 25
biographic, driving, criminal history, circumstantial, and
consequential characteristics constituted independent and
predictor variables. Significant differences were found
among drinking drivers grouped by total number of DUIIs
and by recidivist vs. nonrecidivist status.
Recidivist drinking drivers were not found to be a
homogeneous group. Significant differences were found
between drivers with multiple drinking and driving
offenses. This study found that chronic repeat drinking
and driving offenders (32 arrests) tended to be slightly
older than other groups of drinking drivers, were more
likely to be unemployed and have a past criminal record.
Additionally, they were more likely than nonrecidivists to
be arrested for drinking and driving on a weekday during
afternoon and early evening hours, drive with a suspended or revoked drivers license, and refuse a blood alcohol
determination test when arrested. It was also found that
recidivist drinking drivers tended to have fewer nonmoving
and moving traffic violations than drivers with one or two
DUII arrests. The group of drinking drivers with the
highest percentage of accidents associated with their 1983
DUII arrest were nonrecidivists. It was concluded that
that significant differences exist among drinking drivers
when grouped by the number of DUII violations.
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