Background

Many States and local jurisdictions have cellular reporting programs to aid drivers in the reporting of impaired drivers, but no study has systematically examined the frequency or use of such programs.

In a 1990¹ report examining the DWI enforcement program in Boise, Idaho, Lacey et al. discussed the city’s “Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI)” program. In this program, the police department sent letters to the registered owners of the reported vehicles and encouraged responsible behavior.

In 1989, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) included “Citizens’ Reporting” programs in its recommendations to the States² and in a 1984 report³ noted that these types of programs had resulted in over 7,000 DWI arrests.

In 2005, Congress directed NHTSA to:

Judicial and Prosecutorial Awareness- The Committee has provided $1,500,000 for Judicial and Prosecutorial Awareness to expedite the detection, identification and tracking of hard core drunk drivers. The Committee is aware that one of the major factors in alcohol-related crashes is the number of habitual drunk drivers involved in alcohol-related traffic crashes. The Committee directs NHTSA to work with State and local law enforcement officials, judges, prosecutors and parole officers to assist them in developing strategies that specifically target the removal of habitual drunk drivers from the road.  The Committee directs NHTSA to provide a report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations by June 1, 2005, on the strategies developed to measure the effectiveness of this program and NHTSA's plan to carry it out. The report shall also include a detailed study of the effectiveness and the costs related to the implementation of a Statewide cellular drunk driving reporting program that provides free air time and allows motorists with a cell phone to dial a special number [*DUI] to report drunk drivers. The Committee is aware that at least three States are currently providing this service to motorists. The Committee also directs NHTSA to look at the effectiveness of other innovative techniques employed by States to discourage repeat offenders from drinking while driving.”⁴ (Emphasis added.)

The objective of the project was to identify States that use a statewide cellular drunk driving reporting program which provide free airtime and allow motorists with a cell phone to dial a special number (such as *DUI) to report suspected drunk drivers.

¹ Lacey, J. H., Marchetti, L. M., Stewart, J. R., Murphy, P. V., and Jones, R. K. (1990).  Combining enforcement and public information to deter DWI: The experience in three communities.  Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

² Kostad, J. L. (1989). NTSB Safety Recommendations H-89-8 through -14. Retrieved August 9, 2006, from the National Transportation Safety Board Web site:  http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/1989/h89%5F8%5F14.pdf

³ National Transportation Safety Board (1984, April 3). Deterrence of drunk driving: The role of sobriety checkpoints and administrative license revocations. Retrieved August 9, 2006, from http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1984/SS8401.htm

⁴ Transportation, Treasury and General Government Appropriations Bill, 2005.  Senate Report No. 108-342 (2004). Retrieved August 9, 2006, from http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_reports
&docid=f:sr342.108.pdf

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