Laws can be powerful tools to change behaviour to promote health. They are appropriate to employ when the health problem they target is important; there is evidence the law can reduce the problem; the law is minimally intrusive; there is no equally effective less intrusive alternative; the behaviour being targeted affects other people; and, there is public support for the law. Impaired driving policy research can focus on the magnitude, dimension, and etiology of impaired driving, whether persons other than impaired drivers are affected, factors that may influence whether a law is passed, whether once enacted a law reduces impaired driving and related injury and death, and how to most effectively implement a law and how to build and sustain public support for effective implementation efforts. This paper examines these various types of policy related studies that target underage drinking and drinking and driving as examples.
Abstract