ABANDONMENT OF MANDATORY JAIL FOR IMPAIRED DRIVERS IN NORWAY AND SWEDEN

In 1988 and 1990, respectively, Norway and Sweden adopted legal reform s including abandonment of mandatory jail sentences for persons drivin g with BACs above specific limits. Interrupted time-series analysis fi nds that in both countries traffic deaths diminished simultaneously wi th the reforms, consistent with the understanding that Scandinavian su ccess in reducing impaired driving does not depend upon mandatory jail .