In the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, the Federal Republic of Germany made intensive efforts to reduce road safety risks through a series of programs for improving the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of road users. In 1978 a Project Group was established at the Federal Highway Research Institute to compile a summary survey of the programs and undertake evaluation studies to determine the success of these programs. These evaluation studies have provided new insights. Participants' realistic descriptions of the causes and consequences of undetected drinking-and-driving offenses were particularly revealing on how to approach the problem of undetected cases. Furthermore, important information on the diagnosis of driver ability, the implementation of safety campaigns, and the personal consequences of a drinking-and-driving conviction should also be derived from further study of the participants. Present efforts in the Federal Republic of Germany toward a more systematic integration of driver improvement programs into the existing legal and administrative framework seem to provide a more promising route to traffic safety in the medium term than do demands for radical changes in sanctions. Driver improvement programs can already be considered as making an important and irreplaceable contribution to road safety. However, they cannot be seen as a substitute for legal sanctions and measures. (A)
Samenvatting