This section looks at some of the most effective enforcement
techniques used to detect and identify drunk drivers, as well as some of
the problems police officers face in trying to apply them. Many of the approaches
mentioned here are aimed at the larger driving population but have an important,
direct impact on the subset of hardcore drunk drivers.
Unfortunately, the odds are against detecting and identifying alcohol-impaired
drivers, particularly hardcore drunk drivers, many of whom are alcohol tolerant
and do not exhibit signs of intoxication, even at high BAC levels (Simpson
and Robertson 2001). Recent studies estimate the number of times a person
drives drunk before being arrested range from about one in 50 to one in
100 (Hedlund and McCartt 2002; Simpson and Robertson 2001; Beitel, Sharp,
and Glauz 2000), depending on the level of enforcement and the method of
computation.
For hardcore drunk drivers, as well as all drunk drivers, the perception
that they will be detected and caught can act as a deterrent. Public attention
and news coverage of DWI enforcement efforts help create the perception
that if motorists drive drunk, they will be stopped and charged. A 1996
study of repeat offenders showed when police presence was certain, there
was a decrease in DWI behavior among study participants. Additionally, the
threat of arrest and/or the consequences of arrest caused 61 percent of
the repeat offenders studied to stop their behavior for some period of time
(Wiliszowski, Murphy, and Lacey 1996). |
