Ignition Locks Prevent Repeat DW... ( First-timers with devices 60% less li...)

Ignition Locks Prevent Repeat DWI Offenses

Date:2/15/2008

First-timers with devices 60% less likely to do it again, study finds

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Breath-testing devices that prevent a vehicle from starting if the driver's blood alcohol level exceeds a preset limit can dramatically reduce more DWI offenses among first-time offenders, a new study shows.

First offenders with "interlock" devices installed on their cars were 60 percent less likely to have a repeat offense than those who did not use the devices, according to findings published in the current issue of Traffic Injury Prevention.

"This study on first-time offenders reinforces prior studies on this issue that show a 65 percent reduction in drunk driving while interlocks are installed," Paul Marques, of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, said in a prepared statement.

The findings may help resolve questions about whether interlocks work as well with first-time offenders as with repeat offenders. Two earlier studies had questioned their effect, but the researchers noted that in those studies, only a small proportion of those required to install the interlocks actually did.

In the new study, researchers examined the records of 1,461 first-time DWI offenders in New Mexico who had interlocks installed in their vehicles and compared them with 17,562 first-time offenders in the state who didn't use the devices. The two groups were matched by age, gender and blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest.

"The average first offender has driven drunk many times before he or she was arrested. The big risk difference is between non-offenders and first offenders. The risk difference between first offenders and repeat offenders is small by comparison," Marques said.

This research -- funded in part by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization that focuses on health and health-care issues
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Iowa State chemists track how drug changes, blocks flu virus
2. Super-Thin Drug-Free Coating Hides Stent as It Unblocks Heart Arteries
3. Years-Long Search Unlocks Deadly Genetic Disease
4. Edge Dynamics New Dashboard Unlocks Value of Channel Data Enterprise-wide
5. Awake the Movie Highlights the Need for Goldilocks Anesthesia, Says Dr. Barry L. Friedberg, Developer of Bispectral Index (BIS) Monitored Propofol Ketamine Sedation, Now Trademarked as Minimally Invasive Anesthesia (MIA)(R)
6. Digital Lightbox(C) Unlocks New Possibilities in Collaborative Patient Treatment
7. Grape powder blocks genes linked to colon cancer
8. Drug Combo Blocks Pain Without Impairing Movement
9. Toy Blocks Might Boost Toddlers Language Skills
10. Cholesterol byproduct blocks heart health benefits of estrogen
11. Time to Set Kids Back-to-School Sleep Clocks

Post Your Comments:

Ignition Locks Prevent Repeat DW...( First-timers with devices 60% less li...),Health