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Research Reports |
| Title: | The 24/7 Sobriety Program's Effects on Impaired Drivers in North Dakota: 2014-2019 |
| Authors: | Kimberly Vachal, Yun Zhou, Shantanu Awasthi, and Andrew Kubas |
| Publication Date: | Sep 2020 |
| Report #: | DP-312 |
| TRID #: | 01863709 |
| Keywords: | alcohol tests, drunk drivers, recidivism, repeat offenders, safety programs, trend (statistics) |
| Type: | Research Report – Department Publications |
The 24/7 Sobriety Program is an intervention strategy mandating that alcohol-impaired driving offenders remain sober as a condition of bond or pre-trial release. The goal is to monitor the most at-risk offenders in North Dakota and require that these individuals remain sober in order to keep roadways safe from hazardous drivers. As a component of the program, offenders are required to submit to twice-a-day blood alcohol concentration tests, ankle bracelet monitoring, drug patches, or urinalysis as a monitoring technique. While a pilot phase included a 60-day and discretionary enrollment options for repeat DUI offenders, the current standard is a minimum 360-day sentencing period for all repeat offenders in North Dakota and other early adaptor states. Stakeholder experiences and empirical evidence supported the program's deterrent effects on DUI-related citations. If a program participant fails to remain sober while enrolled, the individual is sent directly to jail. This assessment sought to extend the earlier research into North Dakota's experience as a promising program into a maturing program. The goal was to offer evidence-based knowledge for critical program aspects in the state's continuous program improvement initiative. The focus areas were: (1) if positive deterrent effects were statistically evident during program enrollment; (2) if deterrent effects were sustained beyond program completion; (3) if deterrent effects were stronger among certain participant subpopulations; and, (4) if select factors were associated with greater likelihood for recidivism. Results show that participants significantly improve crash and citation metrics after enrolling in the program. Individuals participating in the program for a fourth-time offense have higher odds of relapsing into the alcohol impaired driving behavior. These individuals, termed high-risk in this study, may benefit from treatment alternatives as they may represent the North Dakota driver subpopulation that has issues with chronic alcohol abuse and self-control.
The following reports are listed by publication date in reverse chronological order.
Vachal, Kimberly, Yun Zhou, Shantanu Awasthi, and Andrew Kubas. The 24/7 Sobriety Program's Effects on Impaired Drivers in North Dakota: 2014-2019, DP-312. North Dakota State University, Fargo: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, 2020.
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