International policies on alcohol-impaired driving: a review.

A review is presented of policies to curb alcohol-impaired driving. The principal measure applied against drinking and driving in most industrial countries is the implementation of laws limiting the amount of alcohol which can be legally consumed by a person who subsequently takes charge of a motor vehicle on a public road. This strategy seems to have been the most effective to date, although national variations in legislation, rigor of application, and the extent of public knowledge are reflected in the range of outcomes reported. The effectiveness of "random breath testing" appears to be related to the degree to which drivers believe that the law is enforced. Other strategies aimed at the reduction of drinking and driving are education, publicity, and exhortation; the rehabilitation of convicted offenders; and restrictions on the availability of alcohol. However, due to factors such as the lack of evaluation, or limited scope, or nonspecificity to drinking and driving, these measures appear to have been less successful in curbing alcohol-impaired driving than the application of legal powers.