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A S Tippetts

Publications and source records attributed to A S Tippetts.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

The impact of mandatory versus voluntary participation in the Alberta ignition interlock program.

Research has demonstrated that participation in an interlock program significantly reduces the likelihood of subsequent driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions at least so long as the interlock device is installed in the vehicle. Despite the growing number of jurisdictions that allow interlock programs and the demonstrated success of these programs, the proportion of DWI offenders who actually have the device installed is minimal. In an effort to increase the proportion of offenders using interlocks, some jurisdictions require offenders to install an interlock as a condition of license reinstatement whereas others merely offer offenders a reduction in the period of hard suspension if they voluntarily participate in an interlock program. The objective of the present study was to determine the extent to which voluntary interlock participants are more or less successful in terms of subsequent recidivism than those for whom interlock program participation has been mandated. The issue was addressed using data from the interlock program in Alberta, Canada, which provides for both mandatory and voluntary participation. The recidivism experience of voluntary and mandatory interlock participants was examined both during and after the period of interlock installation. Cox regression revealed that, after controlling for (or equating) the number of prior DWI offenses, the survival rates of DWI offenders who were ordered to participate in the interlock program did not differ from those of voluntary participants. These results suggest that further use of mandatory interlock programs should be just as successful as voluntary programs when offenders share characteristics with those studied in Alberta.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2003

The impact of mandatory versus voluntary participation in the Alberta ignition interlock program.

Research has demonstrated that participation in an interlock program significantly reduces the likelihood of subsequent driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions at least so long as the interlock device is installed in the vehicle. Despite the growing number of jurisdictions that allow interlock programs and the demonstrated success of these programs, the proportion of DWI offenders who actually have the device installed is minimal. In an effort to increase the proportion of offenders using interlocks, some jurisdictions require offenders to install an interlock as a condition of license reinstatement whereas others merely offer offenders a reduction in the period of hard suspension if they voluntarily participate in an interlock program. The objective of the present study was to determine the extent to which voluntary interlock participants are more or less successful in terms of subsequent recidivism than those for whom interlock program participation has been mandated. The issue was addressed using data from the interlock program in Alberta, Canada, which provides for both mandatory and voluntary participation. The recidivism experience of voluntary and mandatory interlock participants was examined both during and after the period of interlock installation. Cox regression revealed that, after controlling for (or equating) the number of prior DWI offenses, the survival rates of DWI offenders who were ordered to participate in the interlock program did not differ from those of voluntary participants. These results suggest that further use of mandatory interlock programs should be just as successful as voluntary programs when offenders share characteristics with those studied in Alberta.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2001

Predicting repeat DUI offenses with the alcohol interlock recorder.

The aim of this report has been to use information contained in the alcohol ignition interlock recorder to determine whether systematic analysis of it can be used to predict which DUI offenders will recidivate during the first 2 years after the interlock is removed. The interlock record was accumulated during a 4-year intervention study in Alberta, Canada. Data from more than 5.5 million breath tests collected during interlock use were analyzed retrospectively after allowing repeat DUI offenses to accumulate for up to 2 years post-interlock. The rate of interlock warns at low BAC (0.02-0.04%) and fails at higher BAC ( > 0.04%) were found to be predictive of later repeat DUI. The interlock record was used along with selected driver record variables and questionnaire data to identify predictor sets. CHAID segmentation analysis was used to identify combinations of predictor variables; these were joined with sensitivity analysis to compare different predictor combinations. Several variables, but primarily more prior DUIs and more interlock warns and fails logged during the first 5 months of interlock usage predict greater than 60% of repeat DUI with a false positive rate of less than 10%.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of a program to motivate impaired driving offenders to install ignition interlocks.

Approximately 30,000 alcohol ignition interlocks, which prevent a drinking driver from operating a vehicle, are in use in the United States and Canada. Currently available studies indicate that interlocks reduce impaired driving recidivism while on the vehicle. However, in the United States, the practical effectiveness of these devices is limited because few offenders are willing to install them in order to drive legally. This paper reports on a study of a court policy that created a strong incentive for impaired driving offenders to install interlocks by making penalties (e.g., jail or electronically monitored house arrest) the alternative to the interlock. Comparison of the recidivism rates of offenders subject to this policy with offenders in similar, nearby courts not using interlocks indicated that the policy was producing substantial reductions in DUI recidivism.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The relationship of alcohol safety laws to drinking drivers in fatal crashes.

This paper presents an analysis of the relationships between the passage of key alcohol safety laws and the number of drinking drivers in fatal crashes. The study evaluated three major alcohol safety laws--administrative license revocation laws, 0.10 illegal per se, and 0.08 illegal per se laws--on the proportion of drinking drivers in fatal crashes. Drivers aged 21 and older in fatal crashes at two BAC levels--0.01-0.09 and 0.10 or greater--were considered separately. Drivers under age 21 were not included because they are affected by the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) law. This study used data on drinking drivers in fatal crashes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) covering 16 years (1982-1997) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Also included in the study were such variables as per capita alcohol consumption and annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), which could affect the number of alcohol-related crashes. The results indicate that each of the three laws had a significant relationship to the downward trend in alcohol-related fatal crashes in the United States over that period. This paper points out that this long-term trend is not the product of a single law. Instead, it is the result of the growing impact of several laws over time plus the affect of some factors not included in the model tested (such as the increasing use of sobriety checkpoints and the media's attention to the drinking-and-driving problem).

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1999

The Alberta Interlock Program: the evaluation of a province-wide program on DUI recidivism.

AIMS: This study was designed to determine the efficacy of alcohol safety interlocks in reducing recidivism among first and second driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders. It also evaluates the overall effectiveness of interlock programs where typically only a small portion of DUI offenders elect to install interlocks. DESIGN: The driving records of DUI offenders participating in interlock programs for 6 months for first offenders and 2 years for second offenders were compared with similar offenders who chose not to participate. SETTING: A province-wide program in Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Records of 35,132 drivers convicted of DUI between 1 July 1998 and 30 September 1996 were analyzed MEASUREMENTS: Repeat DUI offenses during and after the interlock period. FINDINGS: While the offenders had interlocks on their vehicles, DUI recidivism was substantially reduced. Once the interlock had been removed and the participants had been reinstated, their DUI rate was the same as other offenders indicating that the interlock reduced recidivism while in place. Because only 8.9% of eligible drivers elected to participate in the interlock program, the program did not significantly increase the overall effectiveness of the province's management of DUI offenders. CONCLUSIONS: Interlocks are associated with a major reduction in DUI recidivism while on the vehicle of the offender. However, because few offenders elect to participate, the program produces only a small (5.9%) overall reduction in the recidivism rate of all DUI offenders.

Alberta↗
PubMed1999

Behavioral monitoring of DUI offenders with the Alcohol Ignition Interlock Recorder.

AIMS: To evaluate patterns of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and driving logged on the ignition interlock recorder and to assess whether this event record is a useful outcome measure for a behavioral intervention. DESIGN: Descriptive analyses of recorder data and multivariate analysis of the predictors of high BACs associated with a motivational intervention for driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders using an interlock. SETTING: Two interlock service centers in Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: 1309 first-time and multiple DUI offenders who agreed to participate during interlock installation. INTERVENTION: A human-services (supportive guidance) intervention based on motivational interviewing and pragmatic counseling was delivered to interlock users in Calgary, but not to interlock users in Edmonton, Canada. MEASUREMENTS: This report summarizes the patterns and predictors of BAC warnings (0.02-0.039%) (20-39 mg/dl) and failures (> or = 0.04) (> or = 40 mg/dl) from more than 3 million in-vehicle breath tests. Data come from three sources: driver records, questionnaires and the interlock. FINDINGS: From the beginning to the end of the interlock use period, there was a significant linear decline in the proportion of positive BAC driving to total driving. After controlling for prior offenses, demographics and reported drinking levels, offenders in the intervention site (Calgary) were less likely to have recorded fail BACs than were offenders in the control site (Edmonton). The temporal patterns of BAC fails with the interlock mimic the high-risk periods for DUI arrests and alcohol-involved fatal crashes. CONCLUSIONS: The interlock successfully blocks drinking and driving during high-risk periods. Preliminary recorder data suggest the services intervention may be affecting DUI behavior.

Alberta↗
PubMed1998

Temporary vehicle impoundment in Ohio: a replication and confirmation.

Driving while suspended by individuals who have been convicted of an impaired driving offense is a significant highway safety problem. Such offenders present four times the risk of involvement in a fatal crash at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.10. A previous report by the authors demonstrated that a vehicle immobilization program in Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio, significantly reduced driving-under-the-influence (DUI) recidivism rates for multiple DUI offenders. This study evaluated a somewhat different application of the same law in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio, where vehicles were impounded rather than immobilized, and obtained similar results--a reduction in repeat DUI offenses by multiple offenders both while their vehicles were being held by the police and after they were returned to the offenders.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1998

The effect of lane line width and contrast upon lanekeeping.

The combined effect of lane line width and line-pavement contrast upon lanekeeping was studied through simulation. Some 124 subjects, ages 17-79 (x = 56.30), 52% male, each performed 42 trials over road segments representing three levels of width crossed with 14 line-pavement contrast ratios. Lanekeeping performance was recorded in terms of heading error, position error, lane excursions and road excursions. Subjects were stratified into two levels of ability on a combined measure of visual, attentional and psychomotor variables known to decline with age. Contrast and width had a negligible effect upon performance except at very low contrast ratios, ca 1.02 at high pavement luminance levels (e.g. concrete) and 1.04 for very low luminance levels (e.g. asphalt). These ratios are similar to those encountered at night on wet roads. Mean overall performance error at the low contrast ratios increased by a factor of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.2 for 8, 6 and 4" widths, respectively. Lower ability subjects exhibited greater error at almost all contrast ratios, with no consistent relationship between degree of decrement and either width or contrast. The results suggest that lane line width and contrast have a negligible effect upon lanekeeping performance except at extremely low levels of contrast, where both have large effects. Further research in the roadway environment is needed to determine the relationships of line width and contrast ratio to lanekeeping on normal and degraded surface conditions.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Accident prevention versus recidivism prevention courses for repeat traffic offenders.

Most U.S. jurisdictions include some form of educational program among the driver improvement actions for repeated traffic offenders. The majority of programs fall into two categories: accident prevention programs seeking primarily to foster safe driving practices, and recidivism prevention programs seeking primarily to foster lawful driving behavior. Over 16,000 multiple traffic offenders were divided between courses representing each type of program. Those taking part in the recidivism prevention course evidence significantly fewer accidents and violations during the following year than did their counterparts participating in the accident prevention course. Offenders failing to participate in either course, and therefore having their licenses suspended, showed significantly fewer accidents and violations than did participants in either course. The results suggest that instruction designed primarily to reduce recidivism is more effective in reducing both violations and accidents of repeat offenders than instruction that is solely directed toward accident prevention.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Estimating blood alcohol level from observable signs.

Attempts to induce hosts and friends to prevent drinkers from reaching dangerous levels of alcohol impairment depend upon the ability to judge impairment from observable signs of physical appearance and behavior. In a study of this ability, researchers first observed and recorded signs of change in behavior and physical appearance among dosed drinkers in small social groups (n = 149). Signs were grouped into impairment levels corresponding to three broad categories of blood alcohol concentration (BAC): < 0.04% (no signs), 0.04%-0.08%, and > 0.08%. Next, drinkers were then classified into judged impairment level by guests observing small numbers in social groups (n = 333), hosts observing large numbers in social groups (n = 480), and servers observing patrons in public establishments (n = 436). A random half of the observers in each setting were given instructional guidance in the relationships of signs to impairment level. Results showed all observers to exceed chance in their classifications of drinker impairment, with observations in the small social groups being significantly more accurate than those in the other two groups. A beneficial instructional guidance effect was significant for the social groups, with the greatest benefit found in detecting those over 0.04% in the small groups. The authors conclude that, while people are fairly accurate in judging alcohol impairment, their accuracy is greatest and guidance most effective in detecting the presence rather than degree of impairment and when attention can be concentrated upon a few drinkers at a time.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation of a method for reducing unlicensed driving: the Washington and Oregon license plate sticker laws.

This report covers an evaluation of programs designed to reduce unlawful driving in the states of Washington and Oregon by providing for the marking of the license plate of a vehicle when its operator was apprehended driving while suspended. In both states, the records of 101,000 drivers convicted of a drunk-driving offense who were potentially at risk for this sanction were analyzed using time series analysis to determine the general deterrent effect of the law. In addition, the specific deterrent effect of having one's vehicle marked was studied in Oregon using analysis of covariance. Results of these analyses indicated that the law had both a general and specific deterrence effect in Oregon but no measurable effect in Washington.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Temporary vehicle immobilization: evaluation of a program in Ohio.

Driving while suspended is a growing problem in most states. To deal with this problem, a number of jurisdictions are impounding and/or immobilizing the vehicles of driving while suspended or multiple driving under the influence offenders. This study evaluates the first 2 years of the implementation of this type of law in Franklin County (Columbus), OH. Variations in police enforcement and judicial sentencing policies resulted in some offenders, though eligible for impoundment or immobilization, not receiving the sanction. The recidivism rates of these offenders were compared with offenders who did receive a vehicle sanction. Tracking these two groups of offenders for up to 2 years demonstrated that the offenders who received the sanction had lower recidivism rates, both before and after they reclaimed their vehicles.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1993

Cocaine in the hair of mother-infant pairs: quantitative analysis and correlations with urine measures and self-report.

A sample of mothers who had used crack cocaine while pregnant was evaluated during the postpartum period before random assignment to drug treatment. Mean infant age was 74 days. Paired hair samples were acquired from 63 mothers and 63 infants. Maternal urine was screened for cocaine and benzoylecgonine; three different drug use self-report measures were also collected. Normalizing transformations of all hair and urine data preceded analyses. The initial correlation of mother and infant hair (r = .41, N = 62, P = .001) was strengthened (r = .62, N = 30, P < .0005) by removing from the dataset maternal hair independently judged to be damaged. Damage to hair is associated with certain types of "hair care" products. The damaged maternal hair bore no quantitative relationship to infant hair (r = -.04, N = 30, P = .41). Poor quality hair samples could have been partly anticipated because self-reported use of hair products had a significant contingent relationship to laboratory-judged damage to hair (Z kappa = 2.28, P = .01). Maternal urine benzoylecgonine correlated with maternal hair (r = .41, N = 60, P = .001) and, of course, with maternal urine cocaine (r = .63, N = 60, P < .0005). None of the three self-report measures (use in past 30 days, duration since first use, average regular use) significantly correlated with any of the hair or urine measures. Factor analysis of drug use variables identified three factors possibly representing long-term use, recent use, and some artifact of self-report. In summary, hair analysis may provide a quantitative index of exposure when the hair is not damaged. The amount of self-reported drug use could not be corroborated with analytic measures of hair or urine. Studies in which self-reported cocaine use is a scalar variable should be interpreted cautiously.

Adult↗