Responding to the Problem of Recidivist Drink Drivers, Tasmanian Law Reform Institute Issues Paper No 23

The first Tasmanian Road Safety Strategy was released in 2002 in the context of the alarming statistic that almost 5000 people were killed or seriously injured on Tasmanian roads between 1996 and 2006.1 While a shared responsibility approach to driver behaviour (with drivers, regulators, road designers and managers involved in safer transportation planning) has seen an improvement in road crash statistics on serious injuries and deaths, the issue of recidivist drink driving has become a focus of academic and policy interest. A number of Australian and overseas studies have indicated that a minority of recidivist drink drivers account for a significant proportion of drink driving crashes.2 As set out at [1.2.5], 2014 Tasmanian data confirm that alcohol continues to be a factor in a significant proportion of serious casualties (10%) and crashes resulting in death (11%). The role of alcohol as a major cause of health and social harms including the involvement of alcohol in road traffic accidents has been recognised in the national policy addressing alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and is clearly articulated in the National Drug Strategy 2011–2015. 3 From a public health perspective, risky drinking behaviour was recognised as a challenge that still exists and was identified as a drug specific priority. 4 Clearly, repeat drink driving is a crucial aspect of risky drinking behaviour; one that has a profound consequence for public safety and warrants considerable attention from a health and law enforcement perspective.