Waging the Battle Against Drunk Driving : Issues, Countermeasures, and Effectiveness

This is a comprehensive examination of the contemporary movement against drunk driving. Written in an eminently readable style, the volume addresses all major substantive aspects of the anti-drunk driving effort including society's changing attitudes and response to the crime itself and the offenders, the role of grass roots groups such as MADD and RID, federal and state initiatives, actions and enabling legislation, and anti-drunk driving programs and projects. Gerald D. Robin takes a socio-legal approach throughout, emphasizing the rationales behind, controversies surrounding, and effectiveness of new strategies and developments to combat drunk driving. Following two introductory chapters, which outline the dimensions of and societal responses to the drunk driving problem, the chapters are arranged to reflect the chronological processing of suspects through the justice system from the point of stopping them on the road to the final disposition of cases in court. Thus, individual chapters treat issues such as sobriety checkpoints, administrative license suspension, prosecuting and defending drunk drivers, mandatory sentencing, third party liability, and deterring drunk driving. Numerous photographs and figures illustrate points discussed in the text. Ideal as a supplemental text for criminology courses, this book is also an important resource for professionals involved in treating drunk drivers and their victims.