Alcolocks in Public Buses in Norway.

As part of a larger European project, alcolocks were installed in 14 public buses in Lillehammer, Norway, for one year to study the psychological, sociological, behavioural and practical impact of alcolocks on some 30 public bus drivers. All buses had override switches in case of malfunction ofthe alcolocks. Running retests were not included. The bus company and thedrivers' unions agreed that the test results would be known to and followed up by the management. Hence, the bus drivers knew that possible positive tests would have severe consequences. Drivers, passengers, company management staff and local authority representatives were interviewed about thealcolocks, and the data registered in the alcolocks were analyzed. No proven case of drunk driving was recorded during the trial. No severe technical or practical problems with the alcolock appeared. The drivers and the management accepted the alcolocks well. The passengers were so positive towards the technology they would accept delays caused by alcolocks. The drivers and the company management accepted the alcolocks well enough to continue the use of alcolocks after the trial, but they did not agree on the conditions for continued use. The drivers' unions made it a condition to thecontinued used of alcolocks, that all company buses in the town of Lillehammer should be equipped with alcolocks. The company management consideredit too costly to have alcolocks installed in 10-15 more buses, and asked the local transport authorities for financial support for this purpose. The local authorities were not willing to provide such support for the continued use of alcolocks, because the accident-reducing effects of alcolocks in buses were not known. The conclusion is that it is feasible to implement alcolocks in public buses, as drivers accept alcolocks when the alcolocks do not interfere with the driving. A careful preparation of the inclusion process and the follow-up procedures are, however, necessary. Clear legal follow-up procedures are needed as well as better knowledge of the accident-reducing effect of alcolocks in public transport. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.