Impaired driving programs : a review of the Canadian experience: what makes for an effective intervention?

Abstract

Driving while impaired (DWI) continues to present a serious problem, both nationally and internationally, and current countermeasures in prevention, intervention and rehabilitation have had questionable impact in the reduction of DWI incidents and recidivism. Various national and provincial initiatives have recently been implemented, centered around primary prevention, however the re-education and rehabilitation efforts aimed at the second and subsequent offenders have not received the same public attention. This study looks at the past and current programming related to DWI intervention programs and has identified, through a literature review and an explanation of existing evaluations, essential components that need to be present in the construct of an "effective" DWI intervention. Using these components, which include psychosocial assessment, qualification of personnel, and course content, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 11 existing programs across Canada. The results of the questionnaire indicate that many programs are deficient in several of the components and substantial efforts would be required in order to advance many of the programs to a stage where these components are established and maintained. The study contends that without these improvements, programs would continue to have mixed outcomes, would be difficult to evaluate in terms of measuring impact, and of greater importance, be able to demonstrate to key stakeholders that DWI programming warrants the attention and support of the public sector.