A REVIEW OF RESEARCH ON VEHICLE SANCTIONS IN THE USA

Revoking or suspending a motorist's operators license is now a common penalty for many traffic infractions, especially those related to alcohol-impaired driving. Unfortunately, many of these offenders continue to drive. Suspended drivers frequently receive additional traffic citations or are involved in crashes during periods of license suspension. As a way of addressing this problem, 46 states within the U.S. have enacted laws designed to reduce the likelihood of illegal driving by sanctioning offenders' vehicles for impaired driving offenses or for driving with a suspended license. This paper describes research evaluating the effectiveness of various vehicle sanctions for reducing illegal driving. Findings from recent research in California and Ohio on the effects of vehicle impoundment and immobilization are reviewed, and activities at the national level are described. For the covering abstract see ITRD E106992.