Specific Deterrent Impact of California's 0.08% Blood Alcohol Concentration Limitand Adminstrative per se License Suspension Laws

摘要

This project evaluated the impact of two new California driving-under-the-influence (DUI) laws on the subsequent alcohol-related accident and recidivism rates of apprehended DUI offenders. The first law, effective January 1, 1990, reduced the state's illegal per se blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit to 0.08% and the second, effective just six months later, on July 1, 1990, imposed an administrative per se (APS) pre-conviction license suspension on arrested DUI offenders. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the specific deterrent impact of the new laws by comparing the subsequent recidivism and alcohol-related accident rates of DUI offenders arrested before and after implementation of the new laws. The evaluation showed that the new laws were highly effective in reducing subsequent accidents and recidivism among DUI offenders, whether or not the offenders were subsequently convicted of their offense.