DUI Arrest Probabilities

DUI Arrest Probabilities

Is the current amount of DUI arrests too much or too little? Is the public generally aware of the risk of arrest enough to prevent them from drinking and driving? Or do more people need to be arrested? As a DUI attorney, it seems obvious to me that there is a real risk of getting arrested if you are drinking and driving. But, what about the genral public who doesn't deal with it everyday? The probability of arrest for a DUI is about one in 200.

In surveys associated with the Alcohol Safety Action Projects (ASAP), thousands of people were interviewed and asked, what they thought their chances were of being stopped by the police for DUI. The object of such a question is to measure the level of public awareness of law enforcement for DUI laws. Also, the Midwest Research Institute of Kansas City, MO, has explored public awareness about the extent to which DUI laws are enforced.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine the correct statistic. While general ideas of such probabilities do exist, in-depth research had not been previously been done for this. Estimates from previous reports calculate that for a 10-mile ride with a BAC above 0.10% the probability of arrest would be about one in 670, while the Midwest Research Institute states in their recent report that in fact that chances are really about one in 200.

Precise calculation of the probabilities of being arrested for DUI can aid in garnering the trust and confidence of the public regarding DUI law enforcement initiatives.