COMPARING THE DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL POLICIES OF NEW YORK AND TEXAS
Driving while under the influence of alcohol continues to be a major problem in the United States (Willingham & Cameron, 1990). Total driving while under the influence of alcohol arrests increased by 15.2 percent from 1979 to 1988, while the population was increasing 9.3 percent (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990; Bureau of the Census, 1991). From 1987 to 1988, however, arrests for driving while under the influence of alcohol declined by 4.2 percent (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990).
Per capita driving while under the influence arrests vary widely by state. The highest per capita rateù1.09 arrests per 100 personsùis found in California, while the lowest rateù0.03 arrests per 100 personsùis found in Delaware (calculated from data obtained from Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990).
A wide variety of factors may be implicated in the differences in the per capita arrest rate for driving while under the influence of alcohol. In making comparisons between states one factor that should be neutralized is the blood alcohol level at which driving an automobile is illegal per se. Thus, a comparison of California (1.09 arrests per 100 persons per capita arrest rate for driving while under the influence) with Pennsylvania (0.17 arrests per 100 persons per capita arrest rate for driving while under the influence) would be unsuitable because of the difference between the two states with respect to the blood alcohol level at which driving an automobile is illegal per seù0.07 percent in California and 0.10 percent in Pennsylvania (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990). There is a strong probability that more arrests for the offense occur in California than in Pennsylvania because of the stricter standard in California.
In this research, therefore, a comparison is made between states with (1) identical standards for blood alcohol levels at...