High-risk offenders are defined as recidivist offenders of drink driving. In the UK for example, a high-risk offender is categorised by one of the following: • A driver who has been disqualified once for driving with an alcohol level in excess of 2.5 times the legal limit • A driver who has been disqualified twice within a ten year period for any drink drive offence • A driver who has been disqualified for failing to provide a sample for analysis Research has demonstrated that between 20% and 30% of convicted drink drivers re-offend. High-risk offenders represent only a small proportion of all drivers but contribute disproportionately to road accidents. They are more likely than others to be involved in fatal crashes where alcohol impairment is involved. While legal sanctions such as fines and licence disqualification periods have been effective in preventing a large proportion of the population from drink driving, high-risk offenders have failed to respond in the same positive way. As a result, other measures are being employed as additional countermeasures to avoid drink driving of high risk offenders. (Author/publisher)
Abstract