The University of Adelaide CENTRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY RESEARCH

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TitleBlood alcohol legislation as a road accident countermeasure
AuthorsMcLean AJ
Year1983
TypeConference Paper
AbstractThe subject on which I have been asked to talk is particularly appropriate to the interests of this Society. Road traffic accidents are unquestionably one of the major health problems in Australia today, accounting as they do for more loss of life up to middle-age than any other cause. Alcohol is recognized as being one of the major causes of road traffic accidents. Unit 1 recently, virtually a1 1 attempts to control the problems associated with drinking and driving have been legal sanctions, particular emphasis being placed on attempts to deter the drinking driver: Deterrence of course can be general, in the sense of attempting to deter individuals from committing an offence, or specific, in the sense of dealing with offenders in such a way that they are less likely to offend a second time. Retribution is also a legal sanction that is used in the present context. It is not uncommon to see particularly severe penalties for drink driving, particularly in the case of repeat offenders. The legal process can also be used to incapacitate the drinking driver either through imprisonment or more commonly through suspension of his driving licence. Finally, in some jurisdictions, the legal process has been used to require a drink-driving offender to undergo a process of rehabilitation. Of these various approaches that can be 'used through the legal process, that of general deterrence is thought to be the most likely to be successful. I will be discussing it in more detail later in this talk.
PublisherRoad Accident Research Unit
Publisher CityAdelaide
Conference NameMedico/Legal Society of Northern Tasmania
Conference LocationTasmania, Australia
Conference Date25 March 1983
Page Count4
Notesavailable from CASR library on request

Reference
McLean AJ (1983). Blood alcohol legislation as a road accident countermeasure. Medico/Legal Society of Northern Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia, 25 March 1983.