| Title |
INNOVATIVE ALCOHOL TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR THE CURE OF DRUNKEN DRIVING IS SUCCEEDING IN LOS ANGELES
|
| Accession No |
00386136 |
| Authors |
Thistle, F L |
| Journal Title |
California highway patrolman
Vol. 44
No. 3 |
Corp. Authors
/ Publisher |
California Association of Highway Patrolmen
|
| Publication Date |
19800500 |
| Description |
6 p.
|
| Abstract |
Facts are cited concerning an alcohol safety countermeasures program in which is described one California police officer's educational experience as an instructor for an Alcohol Safety Action Project (ASAP) being administered in the San Fernando Valley. Initiated at the community level in 35 states under the sponsorship of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the ASAP program seeks to identify the problem drinker driver and to prevent him from using the highways. The ASAP classes are conducted twice a week at adult community schools; the three-hr. sessions are very low-key, emphasizing the facts. The main objective is to convince convicted drunk drivers that they should not drive after drinking. The 12-hr. program is strictly informational, not rehabilitative; responsible drinking, not abstinence, is the theme. Students learn the relationship between alcohol use and psychophysiological changes which cause impaired driving ability. The police sergeant alerts his classes to the fact that police try to make as many drunk driving arrests as possible when bars and restaurants close. Law enforcement officers look for the following clues: running a red light, driving with the window down on a cold night, riding the brakes or using them unnecessarily, and driving without headlights. It is also made very clear to the ASAP students that under the implied consent laws, police have the legal right to check a suspect for blood alcohol concentration; 99% of suspects subjected to the breathalyzer test are booked for drunk driving. The traffic safety expert discusses what to do when one sees a drunk driver and impresses upon the students the high personal cost of a drunk driving conviction. The effect of a number of one-ounce drinks of whiskey on an average man within two hours after eating is explained. Between 80% and 90% of the students consider that the course has been very beneficial. |
| TRT Terms |
Alcohol breath tests ; Alcoholic beverages ; Blood alcohol levels ; Countermeasures ; Driver education ; Drunk drivers ; Traffic law enforcement |
| Identifier Terms |
Alcohol Safety Action Program |
| Other Terms |
Asap (Alcohol safety action program); Breath test; Drinking driver; Treatment programs |
| Report Number |
HS-029 184 |
| Availability |
California Association of Highway Patrolmen |
| Document Source |
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
|
| TRIS Files |
HSL |
| Database |
TRIS Online |
TRT
