EFFECTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSE REVOCATION ON EMPLOYMENT

This study addresses the impact of administrative license revocation ( ALR) on the employment and income of first and multiple drunk-driving (DUI) offenders. It also inquires into the impact of alcohol-related c rashes on the employment of other persons involved in such crashes (i. e. innocent drivers, passengers and pedestrians). Questionnaires were completed by 579 first-time offenders and 233 multiple offenders at al cohol education schools and treatment programs in four counties in fou r states, which represented varying ALR laws: Chester County, PA (with out ALR); Anne Arundel County, MD (ALR with immediate hardship license available); Marin County, CA (30-day hard license suspension); and Ne w Castle County, DE (90-day hard license suspension). Completed crash 'victim' surveys were returned by 146 crash victims from Pennsylvania, California and Delaware. The study found that ALR does not have a maj or impact on the DUI offender's job and income. Alcohol-involved crash es can have a great impact on seriously injured victims, but the propo rtion of DUI crashes producing serious injury is quite low. Most DUI i s crash-free, and most crashes do not involve injury. The vast bulk of the impact of DUI events falls on the offenders rather than innocent victims. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.