Deterring the drinking driver : random breath testing in New South Wales. Paper presented to the Second National Evaluation Conference, University of Melbourne, July 26-27, 1984.

This paper is focussed on changes in perception of legal sanctions and on changes in behaviour, in a sample of 185 drinking licence holders in New South Wales. These drivers were first interviewed in February 1983 (10 weeks after the introduction of random breath testing (RBT) in New South Wales) and then again six weeks later, in April. A major aim was to test H.L. Ross' hypothesis that legal innovations like RBT achieve an initial deterrent impact, followed by a period when drivers realise their chances of being caught are not as high as they first thought. This hypothesis was supported, but the analysis also verified that RBT did have a marked effect on people's attempts to avoid drinking and driving.