The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that costs for the nation's alcohol-related crashes reach more than $50 billion annually—accounting for medical treatment, lost productivity, property damage, and emergency services (NHTSA 2003). Repeat offenders of the driving while intoxicated (DWI) laws represent approximately one-third of the DWI convictions each year. Many of these repeat offenders have had their licenses suspended or revoked but continue to drive. They can do so essentially with impunity because it is very difficult for law enforcement officers to determine that the suspended or revoked driver is on the road so long as he or she does not become involved in a crash, commit a moving violation, or exhibit aberrant behavior. One way of dealing with mis problem would be a system to alert the police when a passing motorist might be driving with a suspended license. Such a system would have to provide the officers with key information about the suspended offender so that it would be unlikely mat other (innocent) drivers would be stopped or otherwise inconvenienced. NHTSA therefore sponsored a study to assess, develop, and test a problem driver detection system (PDDS) as a countermeasure to continued driving by individuals whose licenses have been suspended because of violations of DWI or driving under the influence (DUI) laws. The study was accomplished in three phases.
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