Findings from the DUMA program: drink and drug driving among police detainees

This paper finds that detainees do perceive a risk related to drink and drug driving, in terms of impairment in driving ability and potential detection by police. These conditions are likely to result in deterrence from drink and drug driving for some detainees. Introduction In Australia, random breath testing (RBT) was introduced in the mid-1970s to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol. This resulted in a reduction in fatal crashes and alcohol-related traffic accidents across Australia. The success of RBT can be explained through the classic deterrence doctrine, which suggests that decision-making is influenced by the perception of whether the benefits of the crime outweigh the risks of being caught. The introduction of RBT arguably increased the perceived and real risk of being caught, which positively influenced individuals’ decisions to refrain from driving while intoxicated. Following the successful implementation of RBT, between 2004 (in Victoria) and 2011 (in the Australian Capital Territory), random roadside drug testing (RRDT) was introduced across Australia. The aim of RRDT was to deter drug driving, decreasing both the prevalence of drug driving and the associated harms. In 2013, data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) indicated that drug driving and drink driving had been engaged in by more than one in 10 Australians (16% and 12% respectively) surveyed during the previous 12 months. Rates of drug driving are even higher in populations where illicit drug use is common, such as among police detainees, where 65 percent of detainees surveyed reported driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs in the previous 12 months. Examining perceptions of risk of drug driving, in terms of both being caught and legitimacy (perceptions of impairment to driving ability), will identify whether the preconditions exist to support drug driving deterrence through RRDT.

[1]  A. Blaszczynski,et al.  Driving on ice: impaired driving skills in current methamphetamine users , 2012, Psychopharmacology.

[2]  B. Logan,et al.  Methamphetamine and driving impairment. , 1996, Journal of forensic sciences.

[3]  J Henstridge,et al.  The Long-term Effects of Random Breath Testing in Four Australian States: A Time Series Analysis , 1997 .

[4]  Jeremy D. Davey,et al.  Developing risk assessment tools for fleet settings: where to from here? , 2010 .

[5]  F. Couper,et al.  3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) and driving impairment. , 2001, Journal of forensic sciences.

[6]  Brian A. Jonah,et al.  Youth and risk: age differences in risky driving, risk perception, and risk utility , 1987 .

[7]  Jørg Mørland,et al.  Impairment related to blood amphetamine and/or methamphetamine concentrations in suspected drugged drivers. , 2006, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[8]  James E. Freeman,et al.  Perceptions and experiences of random breath testing in Queensland and the self-reported deterrent impact on drink-driving , 2007 .

[9]  Paul M. Hurst,et al.  AMPHETAMINES AND DRIVING BEHAVIOR , 1976 .

[10]  R. Homel.  Policing and Punishing the Drinking Driver: A Study of General and Specific Deterrence , 1989 .

[11]  Patricia L Obst,et al.  Drug and Drink Driving by University Students: An Exploration of the Influence of Attitudes , 2005, Traffic injury prevention.

[12]  A. Baker,et al.  Dose-related psychotic symptoms in chronic methamphetamine users: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study. , 2013, JAMA psychiatry.

[13]  Mark Warr,et al.  A Reconceptualization of General and Specific Deterrence , 1993 .

[14]  Laura Ann Wilson,et al.  Perceptions of Legitimacy and Strategies of Resistance: Melbourne Illicit Drug Users and Random Roadside Drug Testing , 2011 .

[15]  K Papafotiou Owens,et al.  Evaluating the deterrent effect of random breath testing (RBT) and random drug testing (RDT): the driver's perspective: research findings , 2011 .

[16]  Sandra C. Jones,et al.  “At Least I'M Not Drink-Driving”: Formative Research for a Social Marketing Campaign to Reduce Drug-Driving among Young Drivers , 2011 .

[17]  Mark Stevenson,et al.  Drink and drug driving among university students: what's the skipper up to? , 2001 .

[18]  Michael Kerger,et al.  Drivers Who Use Illicit Drugs: behaviour and perceived risks , 2000 .

[19]  James Poling,et al.  The effect of cannabis compared with alcohol on driving. , 2009, The American journal on addictions.

[20]  P. Macintyre,et al.  Driving Behavior Under the Influence of Cannabis or Cocaine , 2008, Traffic injury prevention.

[21]  Lawrence W. Sherman,et al.  Defiance, Deterrence, and Irrelevance: A Theory of the Criminal Sanction , 1993 .

[22]  Amanda Kate Delaney,et al.  Strategic Principles of Drink-Driving Enforcement , 2006 .

[23]  A. Drummond,et al.  AN EVALUATION OF THE RANDOM BREATH TESTING INITIATIVE IN VICTORIA 1989-1990: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL TIME SERIES APPROACH , 1992 .

[24]  M. Asbridge,et al.  Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis , 2012, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[25]  Jeremy Woolley,et al.  Reviews of the effectiveness of random drug testing in Australia: the absence of crash-based evaluations , 2013 .

[26]  James Freeman,et al.  Perceptions and Experiences of Random Breath Testing in Queensland and the Self-Reported Deterrent Impact on Drunk Driving , 2007, Traffic injury prevention.

[27]  Kiptoo Terer,et al.  Effective drink driving prevention and enforcement strategies: approaches to improving practice , 2014 .

[28]  W. Swift,et al.  Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Number 87 September 2005 Driving under the influence of cannabis : The problem and potential countermeasures , 2005 .

[29]  Rune Elvik,et al.  Risk of road accident associated with the use of drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from epidemiological studies. , 2013, Accident; analysis and prevention.