A system analysis was completed of the general deterrence of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Elements which influence DWI decisions were identified and interrelated in a system model; then, potential countermeasures which might be employed in DWI general deterrence programs were examined by means of a computer-based simulation based on the model. The simulation program, DETER, employed fixed-time step simulation in which the processing of events, within a time step, was based on an expected value Poisson flow model. Simulation experiments assessed the sensitivity of system parameters and evaluated alternative countermeasure approaches. Two types of results are presented: those which specified the nature of general DWI deterrence and the relative potential of alternative countermeasures; and those which identified gaps in existing knowledge and suggested the need and direction for further research.
Abstract