The role of alcohol in road crashes is well documented. Previous research has suggested that drivers involved in crashes with an elevated blood alcohol concentration may be more likely than other drivers to also have prior convictions for drink-driving. The aim of this study was to determine patterns of drink-driving arrests in Western Australia, and the characteristics of repeat drink-drivers. Over the 11 year period from 1984 to 1994, drink-driving arrests comprised 22.4 percent of 597,637 arrests made in Western Australia. The best predictors of repeat drink-driving arrests were being male, under 20 years of age, having prior arrests, and being Aboriginal. The data were not available to determine whether the arrest events were associated with road crashes. This could be established in future research by linking the arrest records with crash records. (A)
Abstract