State-by-State Recommendations to Improve Data on Drugged Drivers
Problem
Why were the number of DUI arrests decreasing so rapidly in Miami-Dade County?
Were DUI arrests decreasing because fewer drivers in the county were driving impaired by alcohol and/or drugs or were there other reasons? Safer and Healthier Communities Fund administered by The Miami Foundation in partnership with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office were looking to answer this question within their community. NORC was tasked to collect and analyze currently available data and information across Miami-Dade County and municipalities in order to gain a better understanding of DUI arrestees who officers are identifying as impaired drivers, and whether law enforcement officers were investigating drugged drivers according to current Miami-Dade County standards.
Solution
NORC employed a multi-faceted plan to assess DUI arrests in Miami-Dade County.
Trend analyses and a qualitative review of incidents were conducted to clarify the DUI arrest picture in the Miami-Dade County area over the past 5 years. NORC then determined what measures were declining, increasing, and/or remaining flat and further examined the trends by subpopulations and incident characteristics to help explain those changes.
NORC then employed three data collection methods to document and examine the demographics and characteristics of Miami-Dade County drivers who drive under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or other drugs and those who do not engage in DUI. These were:
- conducting and analyzing data from a telephone survey of licensed drivers in Miami-Dade County (N=1,000),
- conducting and analyzing data collected from a roadside survey of 200 drivers on week-end nights obtaining oral fluid and testing for alcohol and other drugs,
- three focus groups of police officers and prosecutors, and
- review of the best prevention practices and enforcement strategies used across the country.
Result
DUI arrests were declining due to lack of law enforcement attention to detecting impaired drivers.
The decrease in DUI arrests in Miami-Dade County was not due to a decrease in DUI, based upon several other measures of impaired driving. An overwhelming majority of Miami-Dade County drivers (82 percent) believe it is very important for law enforcement to enforce DUI laws, but the perception of these drivers is that it is not very likely they will be stopped and arrested for DUI if they drive impaired by alcohol or other drugs. This implies that an increase in visible sobriety checkpoints and visible traffic stops (for speeding, running red lights, weaving) will increase the general deterrent effect of DUI enforcement). An action plan developed by NORC, with evidence-based strategies, has the potential to change the culture in Miami-Dade County (and other US communities facing similar issues) and restore the importance of DUI enforcement.
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Project Leads
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James C. Fell
Principal Research ScientistPrincipal Investigator
"The data collected and analyzed indicated that law enforcement detection of impaired driving was declining. The decline in DUI arrests was not due to a decline in the number of drivers in the county driving impaired. In fact, impaired driving was increasing. "
