CA Department of Motor Vehicles Licensing Operations Division Research and Development
DUI Injuries and Fatalities Continue to Decline
by Cliff Helander
Alcohol-involved traffic injuries and fatalities declined again in 1996, the ninth consecutive year that both measures have decreased, according to the 1998 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information System. Alcohol-involved fatalities fell by 6.6% in 1996, and have dropped by over half (-54.5%) in the past decade. Alcohol-involved injuries were down by 3.5% in 1996, and have declined by 48.2% over the same 10 year period. Arrests for driving under the influence (DUI), however, increased in 1996 (1.5%) for the first time since 1990. While historically the totals of DUI arrests and alcohol-related injuries and fatalities have tended to increase or decrease in tandem, in 1996 they moved in opposite directions. The average blood alcohol concentration of a convicted DUI offender dropped slightly to 0.165% in 1995 (the most recent year for which these data are available), yet is still more than double California's illegal per se limit of 0.08%.
Other highlights from the 1998 DUI-MIS report include the following:
- The proportion of repeat offenders among all DUI convictees continued to decline in 1995, and now stands at 30.1%. This proportion has declined slightly each year since 1989, when it stood at 37%.
- Hispanics continued to be the largest racial/ethnic group among DUI arrestees in 1996 (45.3% of total), and were arrested at a rate substantially higher than their 1996 population parity (29.9%).
- 12.4% of all 1995 DUI arrests were associated with a reported traffic accident, and almost half of those accidents involved injury or fatality.
- Alcohol treatment, in conjunction with license restriction, remains the most effective sanction in reducing DUI recidivism, while license suspension remains the most effective sanction in terms of overall accident reduction.
- Ignition interlock continues to present equivocal results as to its effectiveness. A three-year follow-up of 1993 second offenders assigned to interlock shows a higher accident rate for the interlock group relative to other sanction groups, although the results are not statistically significant. The results do bring into question the long term efficacy of California's present ignition interlock law.
- The conviction rate for DUI offenses in 1996 is estimated to be 72%. An additional 11% of DUI arrestees are also convicted, but for lesser plea-bargained offenses including reckless driving.
Copies of the 1998 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information System are available by writing to the DMV, Research and Devleopment Branch at 2415 First Avenue, Mail Station F-126, Sacramento, CA 95818, Fax No. (916) 657-8589,or by e-mail: dluong@dmv.ca.gov
