The purpose of this report was to determine whether Administrative Licence Suspension (ALS) and VSI have had a beneficial effect on drinking and driving problems in Manitoba. An impact evaluation was conducted to determine the extent to which ALS and VSI reduced drinking-driving and alcohol-involved traffic crashes. The first part examined the general deterrent impact of the programs - i.e., it addressed the question. "Did ALS and VSI discourage driving after drinking and thereby reduce alcohol-involved traffic crashes?". The second part of the impact evaluation examined the specific deterrent effects of the ALS and VSI programs - i.e, it examined the impact of these programs on offenders directly affected by them. A process evaluation was also conducted to assess the extent to which the ALS and VSI programs were operating in an efficient and effective manner. In terms of general deterrence, the following effects were found: a net 12% decrease in drinking driver fatalities; a net 26% decrease in single vehicle night-time (SVN) crashes. ALS and VSI were also found to have significant specific deterrent effects on drinking and suspended drivers: a 44% reduction in repeat DWI offences within 4 years; a 44% decrease in other traffic offences within 97 days following a DWI offence; a 69% decrease in traffic crashes among DWI offenders in the 97 days following a DWI offence. VSI was associated with: a 27% reduction in repeat DWS offences within 4 years; a 39% increase in the probability of not being reconvicted of DWS after 5 years. (Author/publisher)
Abstract