Should Interlocks Be Required for All DUI Offenders?

Transcription

1 Should Interlocks Be Required for All DUI Offenders? Lifesavers Annual Conference Lake Buena Vista, FL June 15, 2012 Anne T. McCartt

2 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Nonprofit, independent research and communications organization Mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce property damage in crashes Research goal to determine what works and what doesn t to improve highway safety Funded by automobile insurance companies

3 Percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above specified levels g/dl or more 0.15 g/dl or more

4 Alcohol ignition interlocks Driver blows into a tube to test breath for alcohol Vehicle won t start if certain amount of alcohol detected Periodic retests while vehicle is in motion BAC percent is typical threshold for DUI offenders

5 Laws mandating alcohol ignition interlock orders June 2012 WA OR CA NV ID MT UT AZ WY CO NM ND SD NE KS OK TX MN IA MO AR LA WI IL MS MI IN OH KY TN AL GA NH VT ME NY MA PA NJ RI WV CT DE VA MD NC DC SC repeat offenders high-bac first & repeat offenders AK FL all offenders judicial discretion only HI

6 Laws mandating alcohol ignition interlock orders June 2012 WA OR CA NV ID MT UT AZ WY CO NM ND SD NE KS OK TX MN IA MO AR LA WI IL MS MI IN OH KY TN AL GA NH VT ME NY MA PA NJ RI WV CT DE VA MD NC DC SC repeat offenders high-bac first & repeat offenders AK FL all offenders judicial discretion only HI

7 Laws mandating alcohol ignition interlock orders June 2012 WA OR CA NV ID MT UT AZ WY CO NM ND SD NE KS OK TX MN IA MO AR LA WI IL MS MI IN OH KY TN AL GA NH VT ME NY MA PA NJ RI WV CT DE VA MD NC DC SC repeat offenders high-bac first & repeat offenders AK FL all offenders judicial discretion only HI

8 Laws mandating alcohol ignition interlock orders June 2012 WA OR CA NV ID MT UT AZ WY CO NM ND SD NE KS OK TX MN IA MO AR LA WI IL MS MI IN OH KY TN AL GA NH VT ME NY MA PA NJ RI WV CT DE VA MD NC DC SC repeat offenders high-bac first & repeat offenders AK FL all offenders judicial discretion only HI

9 Installed interlocks in United States , , , ,000 80,000 40,

10 The Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2012 Drunken drivers: Congress gets behind breath-test ignition devices PR Newswire, January 31, 2012 MADD Supports Chairman Mica and Legislation to Reauthorize the Nation s Highway Safety Programs FOXNEWS.com, February 3, 2012 Restaurant lobby seeks to put ignition interlock provision on ice TampaBayOnline.com, February 4, 2012 The uncompromising campaign to end social drinking one law at a time

11 Studies of effects of interlocks on recidivism Most studies compared recidivism rates of offenders who installed interlocks vs. those who did not Reductions in recidivism of percent while interlocks installed Reductions found for both repeat and first offenders No lasting effects after interlocks removed Difficult to adequately account for potential differences between offenders who elected to get interlocks and those who did not No prior study examined recidivism effects after law requiring interlock orders among all offenders affected by the law

12 March 6, 2012

13 Timeline of Washington state interlock laws Courts permitted to order interlocks Issuance of interlock orders moves from courts to Department of Licensing Interlock available immediately after arrest in lieu of administrative license suspension Interlock orders required for some alcoholrelated reckless/ negligent driving offenses July 23, 2003 Jan. 1, 2009 Aug. 8, Jan. 1, 1999 June 10, 2004 Jan. 1, 2011 Courts must order interlocks for repeat offenders and first offenders with BACs 0.15% or alcohol test refusal Interlocks required orders for required first offenders for first offenders with BACs with < 0.15% BACs < (simple 0.15% (simple DUI) DUI) Minimum 4-month interlock installment required for license reinstatement

14 Counts of DUI convictions in Washington By quarter of arrest, January 1999-June ,000 courts to Dept. of Licensing all offender law 6,000 4,000 2, st offense repeat offenses

15 Distribution of 1st DUI convictions by type By quarter of arrest, January 1999-June % 50% 40% court to Dept. of Licensing simple DUI high BAC + refusal alcohol-related negligent driving deferred prosecution all offender law 30% 20% 10% 0%

16 Percent of 1 st DUI offenders who installed interlocks By quarter of arrest and conviction type, January 1999-June % 60% court to Dept. of Licensing all offender law 50% 40% 30% 20% simple DUI High BAC + refusal alcohol-related negligent driving deferred prosecution 10% 0%

17 Cumulative percent of recidivism among 1 st simple DUI offenders arrested after 2004 law change By status of interlock 14% 12% 10% installed interlock ordered to install interlock but did not 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% months after arrest

18 12% Predicted cumulative 2-year recidivism rate for 1 st simple DUI convictions with & without 2004 law change By quarter of arrest, January 1999-June % -12% 8% 6% 4% without 2004 law change with 2004 law change all offender law 2% 0%

19 Cumulative 2-year recidivism rate and projected rate with 100 percent interlock use Arrests April-June recidivism with actual use 8 recidivism with 100% use st simple DUI offenders (34% actual use rate) all 1st DUI offenders (24% actual use rate)

20 Conclusions Extending interlock requirement to all first-time DUI convictions in Washington reduced recidivism by 12 percent among affected offenders, even with low interlock use rates Additional gains achievable with higher installation rates Law change was associated with non-significant 5 percent reduction in risk of single-vehicle nighttime crashes

21 Implications for states? Expand use of alcohol ignition interlocks by DUI offenders Extend laws to all DUI convictions Seek ways to increase interlock use rates Reconsider loopholes in laws that allow reductions in DUI charges to traffic offenses without interlock requirements or other DUI penalties Publicize interlock laws to deter all drivers from driving impaired

22 Should we focus primarily on hardcore DUI offenders?

23 Percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers by BACs g/dl g/dl g/dl 0.25 g/dl or more % -31% -43% -32%

24 Deaths in 2010 involving passenger vehicle drivers with various BACs 4,000 3,000 2,000 1, g/dl g/dl g/dl 0.25 g/dl or more

25 Deaths in 2010 involving passenger vehicle drivers with DUI convictions within 3 years deaths drivers with zero prior DUI offense 31,725 drivers with 1 prior DUI offense 955 drivers with 2 or more prior DUI offenses 208

26 Counts of DUI convictions in Washington By quarter of arrest, January 1999-June ,000 courts to Dept. of Licensing all offender law 6,000 4,000 2, st offense repeat offenses

27 Attitudes toward requiring alcohol ignition interlocks for convicted DWI offenders National telephone survey, % 7% 8% very good idea good idea 45% not a good idea bad idea 39% don't know

28 Potential lives saved in 2010 if BACs of drivers limited to specific maximums BAC < 0.08 g/dl zero BAC drivers with multiple DUI convictions within 3 years drivers with at least one prior DUI conviction within 3 years all drivers 7,082 10,600

29 Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Partnership between federal government and automakers Phase two Two technology developers selected to develop system to reliably determine driver s BAC in 1/3 second System must be reliable and durable enough to install in test vehicle by end of two years Gauge public response to specific technologies

30 Attitudes toward advanced alcohol test technology in all vehicles, if technology shown to be reliable National telephone survey, % 11% 6% very good idea good idea 36% not a good idea bad idea don't know 28%

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33 Dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, and property damage on the highway Anne T. McCartt, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Research