This paper reviews the effectiveness of three important types of drink driving sanctions: licence actions, remedial programs and vehicle-based actions. The sanctions are assessed in terms of their effect on the drink driving behaviour of both the general community and offenders. The results confirm that licence actions, such as licence suspension/disqualification, are very effective. In terms of general deterrence, they are the only sanctions that have been consistently associated with reductions in community-wide drink driving behaviour. As an offender management tool, licence actions are effective in reducing the overall offence and crash rates of offenders, although many offenders continue to drive. In contrast, remedial programs appear more effective in reducing alcohol-specific offences among offenders. On balance, the best outcomes with offenders appear to be achieved through the combined use of licence actions and remedial programs. Promising results have also been achieved through the use of alcohol ignition interlocks and, to a lesser extent, other vehicle-based sanctions designed to reduce the incidence of illegal driving among offenders. However, drink driving recidivism and disqualified/suspended driving remain serious problems requiring further attention. The implications for policy development and research in Australia are discussed. (A)
Abstract