Traffic Laws

This involves prison time for individuals who have committed drunk-driving offenses to reduce their risk of recidivism upon their release. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant difference between individuals in the treatment group (who received prison time) and the comparison group (who received a suspended imprisonment sentence) on reoffending with a driving-while-under-the-influence-of-alcohol offense within 6 months’, 24 months’, or 5 years’ time.

This program seeks to reduce the rearrests of individuals previously convicted of driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs through intensive testing and monitoring of drug and alcohol consumption. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant decrease in the rates of DUI arrests by roughly 9 percent in counties that implemented the program, compared with counties that did not implement the program.

This program equips police with on-officer cameras to record their interactions with civilians. The program is rated No Effects. Camera use had no statistically significant effects on officers’ total number of proactive activities, specifically on the number of traffic stops or business checks, nor on arrests, citizen complaints, and use-of-force incidents. Officers with cameras conducted statistically significantly fewer subject stops, and statistically significantly more park and walks.

This program was designed to reduce excessive drinking among adolescents and young adults ages 12-25 through community-wide enforcement operations and awareness campaigns. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes among 15- to 30-year-old drivers in treatment group cities, compared with control group cities.

The purpose of this program is to afford individuals who have committed a driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offense the opportunity to avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction and criminal labeling by expunging criminal records pertaining to the DUI offense through a diversion program. The program is rated Promising. Those in the diversion program were statistically significantly less likely to be rearrested within 4 years of the final disposition.

This is a police-operated public surveillance program that seeks to reduce crime and increase crime clearances (i.e., arrests) by installing new closed-circuit television cameras at high-crime, high-traffic intersections in Milwaukee (Wis.). The program is rated Promising. Intersections in intervention areas where new cameras were installed had a statistically significant higher rate of crime clearances for all crime types, compared with intersections in comparison areas.

This was a residential treatment program that targeted individuals who committed multiple driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenses. The program combined educational components with individualized treatment and therapy to address substance use. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group was statistically significantly less likely than the comparison group to be arrested for any new offense and specifically for a DUI offense, but not for committing an alcohol-related offense.

The program is a component of the San Juan County (N.M.) DWI First Offenders Program, which was designed to reduce driving while intoxicated (DWI) recidivism, alcohol consumption, and drinking and driving behavior by exposing them to testimonials from victims of drunk-driving accidents. The program is rated No Effects. No statistically significant differences were found between VIP and no-VIP program participants on DWI recidivism over 2 years, and on various measures of drinking.

The program involved incorporating elements of procedural justice into traffic stops in Adana, Turkey, to test whether procedural justice improves citizens’ perceptions of the police and the law. The program is rated No Effects. No statistically significant differences were found between the treatment and control groups on general perceptions of the police, but the study did find statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups in encounter-specific perceptions.

This is a law-enforcement model in which both location-based crime and automobile crash data is analyzed to determine where such incidents disproportionately occur (“hot spots”) and to employ targeted traffic enforcement strategies. The program is rated Promising. The areas of targeted enforcement experienced statistically significant declines in robberies, burglaries, and traffic crashes.

The program tested whether police use of a specialized script (based on principles of procedural justice) during random breath-test traffic stops could improve perceptions of police and change people’s views about drinking and driving. The program is rated Promising. The program was shown to have a statistically significant effect on changing views on police and on drinking and driving, on increasing satisfaction and compliance with police, and on strengthening perceptions of procedural justice.

This is a seat-belt-enforcement campaign initiated and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The overall goal is to improve road safety by requiring drivers and passengers in vehicles to properly wear their seat belts. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant decrease in motor vehicle accidents, but no impact on non-fatal injuries caused by vehicle accidents.

This program seeks to reduce the recidivism of persons previously convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) through intensive testing and monitoring of drug and alcohol consumption. The main goal is to encourage sobriety of convicted persons 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The program is rated Promising. The program led to a statistically significant reduction in repeat DUI and domestic violence arrests, but did not impact first-time DUI arrests or traffic crashes.

This is a community-based program to reduce underage drinking and alcohol-related offenses. The program is rated Promising. Intervention sites reported statistically significant reductions in DUI and nighttime crashes, average drinking quantity and variance, police-reported assaults, and EMS calls involving assault and motor vehicle crashes, compared with control sites. There was no difference in ED assaults, police reports of public drunkenness, or EMS calls involving alcohol or other drugs.

The program requires installation of ignition interlock devices in motor vehicles to test the breath–alcohol level of drivers convicted of alcohol-related traffic violations. The device prohibits alcohol-impaired drivers from starting and operating the vehicle. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group individuals who had the device installed had statistically significantly lower rates of rearrest for alcohol-related violations, compared with the control group, at the 3-year follow-up.

This program was designed to reduce driving under the influence (DUI) through installation of an ignition interlock device in motor vehicles of drivers convicted of alcohol-related traffic violations. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested for DUIs, compared with comparison group participants, who served the typical license suspension and probation period.

This comprehensive 3-year program provides swift sanctions, intensive probation, close monitoring, and mandatory treatment for repeat impaired-drivers. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups across all counties. The treatment group experienced lower DUI recidivism, driving with a revoked or suspended license recidivism, and any other traffic offense convictions.

This Maryland program was designed to decrease the number of subsequent alcohol-related traffic violations for drivers with multiple alcohol offenses. The program is rated Effective. Those in the ignition interlock group had statistically significant fewer subsequent alcohol traffic violations compared with the control group.

This is a program for people arrested for the first time for driving while intoxicated (DWI). The program seeks to reduce DWI rearrest rates. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group showed statistically significant improvement on all three measures of alcohol use (total consumption, drinking days, and average blood–alcohol content), compared with the control group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups on rates of DWI rearrests.

This is a court program in western Michigan designed to divert people convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) from jail, eliminate substance use, and reduce recidivism. The program is rated Promising. At the 2-year follow up, program participants were less likely to be rearrested and had longer time to first-rearrest, compared with control group participants. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were no significant differences between groups for alcohol or drug

The program uses courts in a comprehensive approach to address the underlying causes of driving under the influence by aiming to change the behavior of alcohol and/or drug dependent individuals who have been convicted of drug/alcohol crimes. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group had a statistically significantly lower recidivism rate (measured as new court filings) and was statistically significantly more likely to fail sooner than the comparison group.