NTL Record

Title Enhanced sanctions for higher BACs : evaluation of Minnesota's high-BAC law
Record ID 26045
Personal Name
Creator
McCartt, Anne Taylor; Northrup, V. S.
Source ix, 44 p. : ill.
Corporate Creator Preusser Research Group, Inc.
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Publication Date 20040500
Language English
Abstract Thirty-one states provide for enhanced sanctions for driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders with "high" blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). States vary in terms of the high-BAC threshold (which ranges from .15 to .20), and the types, severity, and complexity of sanctions. On January 1, 1998, Minnesota implemented a law imposing enhanced mandatory minimum administrative and criminal sanctions on offenders with BACs > .20. The percentage of first offenders with BACs > .20 declined from 16.9% in 1998 to 15.5% in 2000; the percentage of high-BAC repeat offenders declined from 21.0% to 20.4%. The alcohol test refusal rate for first offenders declined from 12.7% in 1997 to 10.5% in 2000; the refusal rate for repeat offenders was about 22% before and after the law. After the law, high-BAC offenders received more severe case dispositions than lower-BAC offenders. In 1998, 85.6% of high-BAC first offenders received enhanced administrative and/or court sanctions; 65.0% received both an enhanced administrative and enhanced court disposition. The percentage of high-BAC first offenders receiving enhanced sanctions declined from 1998 (85.6%) to 1999 (77.6%) and 2000 (78.3%), but was consistently about 97% for repeat high-BAC offenders. Based on survival analysis involving first offenders arrested in 1998, the 1-year recidivism rate (controlling for age and gender) for high-BAC offenders was significantly lower than for offenders who refused the alcohol test and for a "comparison" offender group with BACs .17-.19, but was not significantly different than for offenders with BACs <.17. There were similar, but not significant, effects of alcohol test results on 2-year recidivism rates for 1998 first offenders and 1-year recidivism rates for 1999 first offenders. There were no significant effects of alcohol test results for repeat offenders arrested in either 1998 or 1999. /Abstract from report summary page/
Rosap ID dot:1715
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1715
TRT Terms Blood alcohol levels; Drunk driving; Sanctions; State laws; Recidivism
General Subjects Impaired driving, Alcohol
Classification NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Highway Safety;
NTL - LAWS AND REGULATIONS - State Laws and Regulations
Geographical
Coverage
Minnesota
TRIS Online
Accession No
970407
Contract Number DTNH22-98-D-45079
Report Number DOT-HS-809-677; NTIS-PB2004105852
Availability NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Research
Resource type Research Paper
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/26000/26000/26045/607-EnhanSancMinn.pdf
Alternative URL http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/EnhancedSanctions/
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository