Drunken driving is the most serious crime likely to be committed by an adult. Each year in the United States it is responsible for approximately 20,000 fatalities, more than 500,000 arrests, and millions of violations. It involves a wider variety of social classes and economic strata than any other major violation of the law. Only recently, however, has the problem of alcohol and traffic safety received attention as a public policy issue.

Social Control of the Drinking Driver lays the groundwork for a much needed integration of methods, principles, and priorities. Law, criminology, biology, psychology, sociology, economics, public policy—the disciplines concerned with the problem of drinking and driving are many and varied, and research crosses national boundaries as well. It is not surprising, therefore, that an integrated general perspective has not yet emerged. Drawing on fourteen specialists and surveying the situations in nine countries, this book presents a comprehensive statement of current knowledge about drunken driving and its control.