The aims of this report included a review of international studies of traffic law enforcement measures, their cost effectiveness and relevance for Australian conditions; the legislative provisions, particularly in relation to drink driving which are effective and the most appropriate strategies for road safety benefits. The emphases were on the appropriateness of current laws, the effectiveness of current drink driving legislation and the cost effectiveness of such measures. The distinction, in both theoretical and practical terms, between fixed and transient offences needs to be recognised before implementation of countermeasures can be successful. Fixed offences (where the driver cannot change the condition, such as driving while drunk) and transient offences (where the behaviour or condition can be altered, such as speeding) have differing implications for methods used. Highly visible operations like random breath testing are appropriate as a deterrent for fixed offences, but transient behaviours may require less visible operations. Deterrent measures are only effective in a general, not in a specific sense. Specific deterrent measures (punishment for offenders) have only about a quarter of the potential of general deterrents (advertising the penalties and enforcement methods) for, only a minority of offenders are caught. There are significant differences between Australian conditions and those in overseas jurisdictions so that the results of research based on overseas experience are not necessarily applicable in this country. A combination of both radical interventions at the environmental level and traditional enforcement methods are needed if the pressures or opportunities to commit offences or have crashes are to be reduced.
Abstract