Controlling the alcohol-impaired driver in Scandinavia and the United States: Simple deterrence and beyond

Three papers on simple deterrence of alcohol-impaired driving (Ross, 1982; Votey, 1984; and Phillips, Ray, and Votey, 1984) were reviewed within a broad framework of control variables including: legal, technical, psychological, moral, and cultural influences. In applying this framework to a comparison of Norway and Sweden versus the United States, it was apparent that Scandinavian drivers are subjected to a considerably greater range and intensity of control influences than American drivers. It was recommended that a causal analysis of simple deterrence should be supplemented by a contextual analysis of general prevention for a fuller appreciation of the complex, interactive network of influences upon alcohol-impaired driving.