Road Safety
Effectiveness of Drink Driving Countermeasures: National Policy Framework
- Publication no: AP-R613-20
- ISBN: 978-1-925854-73-2
- Published: 18 February 2020
- PDF (free) Download
This report provides an Australian policy and regulatory framework to encourage effective reforms to reduce and prevent drink driving and riding. The key recommendations to reduce drink driving across Australia include:
- extending a lower legal BAC limit to more drivers
- improving general deterrence through more highly visible and randomised enforcement, combined with covert operations
- expanding the use of interlock programs, with improved monitoring and case management
- working more closely with the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors to manage alcohol dependent drivers
- supporting measures to reduce societal use of alcohol
- fast-tracking vehicle based systems to prevent alcohol impaired driving.
Each Australian jurisdiction has a different starting point, but all can improve their policies and practices by implementing short and long term measures. These will be required to achieve the overall goal of eliminating drink driving related deaths and serious injuries.
The development of the Australian Drink Driving Policy Framework involved a literature review and development of a policy discussion paper as well as consultations with jurisdictions about current and potential drink driving countermeasures.
- Summary
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1 Background
- 1.2 Consultation with Jurisdictions
- 1.3 Report Recommendations
- 2. Extent of Drink Driving in Australia
- 2.1 Drink Driving
- 2.1.1 Trauma Rates
- 2.1.2 Profile of Drink Drivers
- 2.1.3 Drink Driving in Rural and Remote Areas
- 2.1.4 Self-reported Behaviours and Attitudes in Australia
- 2.2 Australian Alcohol Consumption Trends
- 2.1 Drink Driving
- 3. Drink Driving Laws
- 3.1 Managing Road Safety Risk through the Development of BAC Laws
- 3.2 Current Australian BAC Laws
- 3.2.1 Learner and Provisional Drivers and Riders
- 3.2.2 Motorcyclists
- 3.2.3 Commercial Drivers
- 3.2.4 Drink Driving Offenders
- 3.3 BAC Limits Lower than 0.05
- 3.4 Consultation Findings
- 3.5 Conclusions
- 3.6 Recommendations
- 4. Enforcement Practices
- 4.1 Creating a Deterrent Effect
- 4.2 Intensity of Enforcement
- 4.3 Best Practice Principles for Drink Driving Enforcement
- 4.4 Consultation Findings
- 4.5 Conclusions
- 4.6 Recommendations
- 5. Drink Driving Penalties
- 5.1 Fines, Licence Bans and Prison Sentences
- 5.1.1 Penalties Used Across Australian Jurisdictions
- 5.1.2 Effectiveness of Fines and Prison Sentences
- 5.1.3 Effectiveness of Licence Bans
- 5.1.4 Interlocks as a Deterrent
- 5.2 Administration of Penalties
- 5.2.1 Immediate Suspensions
- 5.2.2 Court or Administrative Approaches
- 5.2.3 Exemptions and Non-convictions
- 5.3 Consultation Findings
- 5.4 Conclusions
- 5.5 Recommendations
- 5.1 Fines, Licence Bans and Prison Sentences
- 6. Defining and Describing Repeat Offenders
- 6.1 Definition of Recidivism
- 6.1.1 Differing Definitions of Recidivism Across Australian Jurisdictions
- 6.1.2 Considerations when Defining Recidivism
- 6.1.3 Extent of Recidivism Across Australia
- 6.2 Who are Repeat Offenders?
- 6.3 Deterring Repeat Offenders
- 6.4 Detecting Repeat Offenders
- 6.5 Conclusions
- 6.6 Recommendations
- 6.1 Definition of Recidivism
- 7. Alcohol Interlock Programs
- 7.1 Interlock Programs Across Australia
- 7.2 Effectiveness of Interlocks
- 7.2.1 For First Time Offenders
- 7.2.2 For Repeat Offenders
- 7.3 Implementing Interlock Programs
- 7.4 Linking Support Programs with Interlocks
- 7.5 Best Practice Guidelines for Interlock Programs
- 7.6 Consultation Findings Regarding Interlocks
- 7.7 Conclusions
- 7.8 Recommendations
- 8. Programs for Drink Drivers
- 8.1 Programs for Drink Driving Offenders
- 8.2 Offender Program Research and Best Practice
- 8.3 Treatment for People Who are Alcohol Dependent
- 8.4 Consultations with Jurisdictions
- 8.5 Conclusions
- 8.6 Recommendations
- 9. Vehicle and Road Based Preventative Measures
- 9.1 In-vehicle Technology
- 9.1.1 Drink Driver Detection Technologies
- 9.1.2 Vehicle Safety Features
- 9.2 Safe System Infrastructure
- 9.3 Conclusions
- 9.4 Recommendations
- 9.1 In-vehicle Technology
- 10. Drink Driving Public Education and Prevention Programs
- 10.1 Effectiveness of Community Prevention Approaches
- 10.1.1 Effectiveness of Advertising Campaigns to Discourage Drink Driving
- 10.1.2 Effectiveness of Designated Driver Programs
- 10.1.3 Effectiveness of Alternative Transport Schemes
- 10.1.4 Community and Sporting Club Programs
- 10.1.5 Alco-gates
- 10.2 Future Promotion Strategies
- 10.3 Conclusions
- 10.4 Recommendations
- 10.1 Effectiveness of Community Prevention Approaches
- 11. Reducing Societal Alcohol Consumption and Misuse
- 11.1 National Alcohol Strategy
- 11.2 Increasing the Cost and Reducing Access to Alcohol
- 11.3 Marketing and Education Programs
- 11.4 Screening and Treatment Programs
- 11.4.1 Brief Interventions
- 11.4.2 Alcohol Dependence
- 11.4.3 Workplace Testing
- 11.5 Conclusions
- 11.6 Recommendation
- 12. Future Research Needs
- 13. Developing Effective Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Australian Jurisdictions
- 14. Conclusions
- References
- Appendix A Comparison of Current Practice and Good Practice
- Appendix B Licences and Random Breath Testing Data
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