01133886

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/161810.aspx

The paucity of information about young impaired driving offenders in the criminal justice system is somewhat surprising given the proportion of youth who continue to be involved in alcohol-related crashes, the important role of age of onset in predicting future criminal behavior, and the fact that impaired driving is one of top five offences committed by young male recidivists. There are important consequences associated with this apparent gap in existing research. Today, in many jurisdictions across Canada and the United States, young impaired drivers are frequently subject to the same traditional sanctions that are applied to adult offenders (e.g., fines, probation, community service, treatment, and incarceration) despite limited evidence of the effectiveness of these strategies even with adults. This has important implications for young impaired drivers and the criminal justice practitioners who process them. Limited knowledge about effective strategies for these offenders has led to inconsistent and possibly ineffective approaches being applied to this population. And, without effective strategies, these young offenders are at risk of becoming tomorrow’s adult drunk drivers who will continue to be involved in the justice system. Based on existing evidence that demonstrates that young impaired drivers pose a greater crash risk to the public on the roadways, and the possibility that these offenders can potentially have longer impaired driving careers, it is important that existing sanctions and programs that are applied to these offenders be evaluated to determine whether they are effective in reducing recidivism, and to guide the development of effective programs to reduce offending among this population.

01133870

English

pp 114-123

2009-6

Transportation Research Circular

Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and Possible Solutions

Web

References

Drunk drivers; Impaired drivers; Recidivism; Sanctions; Teenage drivers

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

Jul 16 2009 11:28AM

• A Review of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Australia, with a Particular Focus on New South Wales
• Alcohol Monitoring Technologies: Applications for Youth and Young Impaired Drivers
• Crash Types: Markers of Increased Risk of Alcohol-Involved Crashes Among Teen Drivers
• Drink Driving and Drug Driving Enforcement Strategies in Australia
• Effects of 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws on Alcohol-Related Driving in the United States
• Effects of a College Community Campaign on Drinking and Driving with a Strong Enforcement Component
• Females and Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes: Exposure-Adjusted Trends
• History and Effects of Graduated Licensing and Zero Tolerance
• Lack of Information from National Surveys: What We Still Need to Learn About Transition Teens
• Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors That Predict Impaired and Other Risky Driving: Findings from a Longitudinal Study
• Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes Involving Youth: Trends and a Preliminary Analysis of the Role of Graduated Driver Licensing Laws
• The Consequences of Providing Drinkers with BAC Information on Assessments of Alcohol Impairment and Drunk-Driving Risk
• The Impact of Underage Drinking and Related Laws on Youth Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes
• The Nature of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Europe
• The Perspective on Campus
• The Potential for Nighttime Enforcement and Seat Belt Law Upgrades to Impact Alcohol-Related Deaths Among High-Risk Occupants
• Young DUI Offenders Seen in Substance Abuse Treatment
• Young Impaired Driver Involvement in Fatal Crashes
• Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and the Strategies Being Used in the Military