The authors report the findings of their team's visit to Scandinavia in 1991. They found evidence of continued liberalisation and rationalisation of the drink-driving laws in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, with no resulting increase in drink-driving. During the 1980s, these countries attempted to make the penalty for impaired driving proportional to its culpability, both among drinking drivers and compared with other criminal offenders. Penalties tend to increase with blood alcohol content (BAC), and for repeat offenders. Mandatory gaol sentences were ended for marginal offenders in Norway in 1988, and for all offenders in Sweden in 1990, thus giving trial judges more discretion. Despite the reduction of the severity of drink-driving laws during the 1980s, there were apparently pressures from public opinion to maintain the appearance of severe punishment. Preliminary time-series analysis of data in Norway and Sweden suggested significant decreases in drink-driving fatalities after less strict laws, and more refined analysis of Swedish data showed that it was almost certain that such fatalities had not increased. As better data become available about drink-driving in Scandinavia, several new policy issues are emerging. More attention is also being devoted to excessive speeding.
Abstract