This paper presents a multi-criteria approach to the enforcement of drink-driving law in a wine-drinking country such as France. From a sociological viewpoint, the national context of such countries requires a broader and more complex approach to enforcement. From a methodological viewpoint, this comprehensive approach requires the use of time series from official records and a modelling exercise. The cultural and economic context of law enforcement is considered first. In France, the state supports the market for alcoholic drinks, but its legislation, designed to combat the harmful effects of alcohol, generally represses individual consumption. Some official French records are examined, whose data refer to conventional criteria for implementing drink-driving law. The French system for enforcing drink-driving law is discussed in detail. A strong correlation is noted between drink-driving tests and convictions, accidents, fatalities, and injuries. French habits and trends of consuming different alcoholic drinks are surveyed. It is found that the type of travel and type of consumption are as important for understanding and assessing law functioning as for evaluating road safety results.
Samenvatting