V.  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Connecticut Telephone Survey

E. Exposure to Enforcement

There was a significant increase in the proportion of drivers reporting that they had gone through a sobriety checkpoint after the July 4th holiday period (χ²(1)=15.780,  p<.001).  Similarly, drivers reported going through sobriety checkpoints significantly more often after the winter holiday period as well (χ²(1)=15.780,  p<.001).  Overall, the proportion of drivers reporting having gone through a sobriety checkpoint increased significantly by 6.8 percentage points from the first survey to the final, post-winter holiday period survey (χ²(1)=16.965,  p<.001).  Respondents also reported knowing others who had been through a sobriety checkpoint in the past 30 days more often after the July 4th holiday period (χ²(1)=44.347,  p<.001) and the winter holiday period (χ²(1)=7.675,  p<.01).  Overall, the 10.9-percentage-point increase in the proportion of drivers reporting knowing others who had gone through a sobriety checkpoint between the first and last survey administrations was statistically significant
(χ²(1)=33.588,  p<.001).  Results for both questions are presented in Table 22

Table 22.  Connecticut Telephone Survey Q17 and Q18: Reported Having Gone Through or Knowing Someone Who Went Through a Sobriety Checkpoint in Past 30 Days

There was a significant increase in the proportion of men 21 to 34 years old reporting that they had gone through a sobriety checkpoint after the July 4th holiday period (χ²(1)=6.944,  p<.01).  The 12.8-percent increase after the winter holiday enforcement period was not statistically significant (χ²(1)=3.273,  p=.070).  Overall, the proportion of drivers reporting having gone through a sobriety checkpoint increased significantly by 6.8 percent from the first survey to the final, post-winter holiday period survey (χ²(1)=16.965,  p<.001).  Men 21 to 34 years old also reported knowing others who had been through a sobriety checkpoint in the past 30 days significantly more often after the July 4th holiday period (χ²(1)=6.944, p<.01).  There was a 6-percent increase in reports of knowing someone who had been through a sobriety checkpoint after the winter holiday period, but the increase was not statistically significant
(χ²(1)=.461, p=.497).  Overall, there was a statistically significant 22.6-percent increase in the proportion of drivers reporting knowing others who had gone through a sobriety checkpoint between the first and last survey administration (χ²(1)=7.497, p<.01).  Results for both questions are presented in Table 23.

Table 23.  Connecticut Telephone Survey Responses of Men 21 to 34 for Q17 and Q18: Reported Having Gone Through or Knowing Someone Who Went Through a Sobriety Checkpoint in Past 30 Days

The number of drivers who reported being stopped for impaired driving remained about the same after the July 4th holiday crackdown, but increased significantly from the pre- to the post-winter holiday period (χ²(1)=5.176, p=.023).  Overall, there was no statistically significant increase in the number of respondents reporting being stopped for impaired driving from the first survey to the last survey, which is consistent with the lack of an increase in the number of DWI arrests reported by law enforcement.  The results are presented in Table 24.

For men 21 to 34, there was a statistically significant 13.4-percent increase in the proportion of respondents who reported being stopped for impaired driving after the July 4th holiday crackdown (χ²(1)=4.939, p=.026), but the 1.7-percent increase after the winter holiday period was not statistically significant.  Overall, the number of DWI arrests for the year did not increase, so the increase in reports of being stopped for impaired driving may mean that these stops did not lead to an arrest in significantly more cases.  The results are presented in Table 25.

Table 24. Connecticut Telephone Survey Q20: Reported Being Stopped for
Driving While Intoxicated or Impaired

Table 25. Connecticut Telephone Survey Responses of Men 21 to 34 for Q20:
Reported Being Stopped for Driving While Intoxicated or Impaired