Spatial Concordance of DWI Arrests and Alcohol-Related Traffic Accidents
| Principal investigator: |
Robert H. Langworthy |
| Other project personnel: |
Richard Curtis |
| Project dates: |
Sep 1, 1999 - Feb 29, 2000 |
| JC#: |
0014 |
| Agency: |
Anchorage Safe Communities |
| Project amount: |
$14,679 |
| Project status: |
Completed |
| See also: | |
| > Patterns
of Adjudication for DWI Arrestees (project) > Driving while intoxicate (DWI) |
This project will use accident data to locate problem hot spots -- i.e., where there might be spatial concentrations of alcohol-related traffic accidents -- and DWI arrest data to indicate where enforcement activity is concentrated. The focus of the study will be to isolate misalignments, that is, to locate any problem areas that receive little enforcement attention as well as enforcement concentrations that are not apparent problem areas.
Policy implications for the first misalignment situation are fairly evident -- enforcement resources may need to be shifted to address the problem. The second situation is more complex. It may be that enforcement activity is mitigating the problem in which case the resources may be well engaged; or it may be that enforcement activity is occurring in a location where problems from drunk driving and alcohol-related traffic accidents are not prevalent. In the later case consideration might given to shifting those resources.
Results of the study should inform two areas of concern. First, the study will develop a method to help Anchorage police determine whether specific enforcement resources are deployed where target problems are located. Second, the study will provide insights into the relation between drunk driving enforcement activity and alcohol-related traffic accidents.