This 4-year study is a continuation of empirical research on deterrents of drinking and driving. The overall objective of our research is to investigate the effects of potential deterrents, price, alcohol availability, criminal and tort law, on the decision to drive under the influence of alcohol and on the adverse outcomes associated with heavy drinking and driving, such as fatalities. Much work has emphasized the role of tort liability and liability insurance, criminal liability, and administrative liability on behavior of commercial servers of alcoholic beverages and on the effects of such liability on motor vehicle accidents and on driving under the influence. Much of the new work involves primary data collection by mail and telephone followup from Alcoholic Beverage Commissions and state Departments of Insurance in all states, national samples of police departments and dram shop liability insurers, and most importantly, a national telephone survey of establishments (N = 800) highly dependent on revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on- site consumption and 2 employees per establishment. The basic hypothesis to be tested is that various forms of liability affect the behavior of commercial servers in ways that are likely to reduce drinking and driving - through pricing and reduced frequency of promotions (e.g., happy hours), adoption of precautions intended to lower the probability of serving minors, interventions directed at reducing service to obviously intoxicated adults, and server training. The other surveys of public agencies will enable us (a) to better define variables representing various types of liability and (b) to document the extent to which regulations are actually enforced and the actual penalties for violations. Using newly-defined variables for the forms of server liability, and many other laws, regulations, and insurer practices potentially affecting drivers' incentives to be careful, and driving under the influence. Using data on trials involving dram shop liability in several jurisdictions, we will analyze resolution of dram shop claims, including major legal issues in such cases, factors leading to compensation of plaintiffs, and amount of compensation paid. A book and 4 papers are planned.
| Stout, E M; Sloan, F A; Liang, L et al. (2000) Reducing harmful alcohol-related behaviors: effective regulatory methods. J Stud Alcohol 61:402-12 |
| Whetten-Goldstein, K; Sloan, F A; Stout, E et al. (2000) Civil liability, criminal law, and other policies and alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities in the United States: 1984-1995. Accid Anal Prev 32:723-33 |
| Sloan, F A; Reilly, B A; Schenzler, C (1994) Effects of prices, civil and criminal sanctions, and law enforcement on alcohol-related mortality. J Stud Alcohol 55:454-65 |
