Traffic Tech #214: Effectiveness Of Administrative License Suspension And Vehicle Sanction Laws In Ohio |
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In September, 1993, the State of Ohio implemented two laws designed to reduce impaired driving. Administrative License Suspension (ALS) allows the arresting officer to take the driver's license of an intoxicated driver at the time of arrest and forward it to the motor vehicle department for the period of suspension. Ohio strengthened their law by providing for immediate license suspension on the day of arrest for all offenders caught driving under the influence (DUI). The other law strengthened an existing immobilization law; vehicles could be immobilized for up to 90 days for second DUI offenders and 180 days for third DUI offenders.
The National Public Services Research Institute of Landover, Maryland conducted an evaluation of these two laws for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. First, they examined the crash rates of all individuals in Ohio who were convicted of a drunk driving offense between September 1990 and August 1993 (before the new laws) and divided them into two groups: those whose licenses were suspended, and those who retained their license. The average monthly crash rate for offenders who had lost their licenses was significantly lower than those who were fully licensed as the graph shows.
Administrative License Suspension Reaches
Far and Wide in Ohio
Before the new ALS law was implemented, 40 percent of first offenders and 15 percent of multiple offenders were not suspended within two years of their offense. After implementation of the ALS law, 99 percent of first and second offenders received license suspension.
Recidivism Rates 3 Years Before and 2 Years After
New ALS and Impoundment Laws
| Before | After | |
| DUI Recidivism | ||
| First Time Offenders | 15% | 5% |
| Multiple Offenders | 25% | 7% |
| Moving Violations | ||
| First Time Offenders | 20% | 9% |
| Multiple Offenders | 28% | 15% |
| Subsequent Crashes | ||
| First Time Offenders | 12% | 5% |
| Multiple Offenders | 14% | 7% |
The driving records of all Ohio drivers with a DUI offense between September 1990 and August 1995, 3 years before and two years after enactment of the new laws, were analyzed for impaired driving offenses, moving violations, and crashes. The table shows the decreases in DUI, moving violations, and subsequent crashes. First time DUI offenders had a recidivism rate of 15 percent before the law took effect whereas only 5 percent reoffended after these laws went into effect. For repeat DUI offenders, the effect was even greater, with 25 percent committing another DUI offense before implementation of the laws, compared to only 7 percent afterwards.
Impact of the Vehicle Sanctions Law
It has been estimated that up to 75 percent of offenders continue to drive to some extent after their license has been suspended. The Ohio Vehicle Sanctions law was intended to reduce this problem after an arrest for DUI was made either by immobilizing the vehicle with a club device or impounding it for the full sanctioning period.
Two large urban counties in Ohio (Franklin, encompassing Columbus and Hamilton County, encompassing Cincinnati) provided court and law enforcement records for eligible offenders. Because not all of the offenders eligible for a vehicle sanction actually received one, it was possible to compare those offenders who lost use of their vehicles with those offenders who did not. First, the study examined repeat violations and offenses during the sanctioning period, and then for a two year period after the sanctioning period ended.
In Franklin County, the driving records of more than 2,700 offenders eligible to receive a combination of vehicle impoundment and immobilization between September, 1993 and August 1995 were analyzed. Offenders whose vehicles were sanctioned had 58 percent fewer DUIs as compared to comparable offenders who did not have their vehicles sanctioned. During the two year period after the sanction, these offenders still had a 35 percent lower rate of repeat DUI offenses. This carryover finding was surprising, and the authors suggested that it may be partially explained by lack of access to a vehicle (abandoned because of high towing and storage costs) or refusal by others to loan these offenders their cars again.
Similar findings were noted in Hamilton County, where only vehicle impoundment was used and the driving records of nearly 3,600 drivers were analyzed. DUI offenses were 60 percent lower among the offenders whose vehicles were impounded during the sanctioning period and 56 percent lower after the sanctioning period as contrasted with offenders whose vehicles were not impounded.
The findings of this study suggest that ALS and vehicle sanctions are powerful tools for reducing the occurrence of DUI. Appendices contain a description of the Ohio Vehicle Sanctions Law, immobilization forms from Franklin County, court entry forms, and Ohio informational brochures.
How To Order
Effectiveness of the Ohio Vehicle Action and Administrative License Suspension Laws, (44 pages and appendices), write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records,
NTS-31, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or fax to (202) 366-7096. Marvin Levy, Ph.D., was the contract manager.
U.S. Department
of Transportation
National Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration
400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-31
Washington, DC 20590
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Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D., Editor, Evaluation Staff
Traffic Safety Programs
(202) 366-2759, fax (202) 366-7096
mailto:lcosgrove@nhtsa.dot.gov