(Newswire.net — September 2, 2017) — Drunk driving is not just illegal, it’s deadly – but most people caught drunk behind the wheel are repeat offenders. This means that something about our current system of punishment, from ticketing to short jail stays, isn’t working. We need a better system if we’re going to change offender behavior.
One program, developed over a decade ago in South Dakota but ignored for too long, promises a solution – immediate consequences instead of delayed ones. Known as 27/7 Sobriety, this drunk driving program offers a measured but certain approach to infractions.
Detecting Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is a common infraction, in part because people know they can do it without getting caught. And once they escape detection, even a single time, the temptation to drive under the influence yet again is hard to resist. Add to this the fact that drinking is a normal and legal behavior in its own right and that deterrents are minimal, especially for those making the decision when already inebriated.
Most drunk driving detection hinges on a limited number of approaches. Some individuals are caught in the stereotypical way – they’re pulled over for erratic driving. In other cases, police catch drivers at DUI check points. Unfortunately, people often know when and where checkpoints will take place, making them easier to avoid.
Strategies for Safety
Obviously, random stops and checkpoints won’t work for creating safer roads – we already use those systems and, still, too many incidents of drunk driving end in injury, property damage, or even death. And when that happens, it often leads to an expensive, drawn out court case as those affected fight for damages and the guilty party lingers on bail, surrendering their license but largely unmonitored. Consequences remain uncertain, poised in the distant future. That’s a problem for impulse-driven offenders and that’s where 24/7 Sobriety comes in.
24/7 Sobriety focuses on the offender’s relationship with alcohol, rather than the specific infraction of drunk driving by requiring individuals to remain sober for the length of the program. Participants take mandatory breathalyzer test twice a day and failing any test results in 12-36 hours in jail – immediately. Though the program typically lasts less than a year, two years out, rearrests remain rare and more than 99% of participants attend every required test.
No Alternatives
Compared to other options, such as allowing offenders to use breathalyzer locks, the 24/7 Sobriety program succeeds because not only does it offer immediate consequences for drunk driving, it addresses drinking as a problematic, antisocial behavior impacting the community. And because the individual involved is not permitted to drink at all during the duration of the program, the focus becomes one of recovery from alcoholism, not punishment for drunk driving. Focusing on the drinking aspect changes the dynamics of long-term prevention.
Currently, 24/7 Sobriety exists primarily as a pilot program in a few areas, including Woodbury County, Iowa, Helena, Montana, and Minot, North Dakota, among others. With increased awareness of the program’s results, however, we can expect more states to take up this stricter approach to drunk driving management. It could be the solution that finally makes our roads safer.