Tackling drink and drug driving through care, not just penalties

It’s a risk we face each time we travel by car – drivers sharing the roads might be affected by alcohol or other drugs, with potentially life-changing consequences for us all. 

“Driving under the influence is a major contributor to road traffic crashes,” explains Monash University Senior Research Fellow Dr Jasmin Grigg, who’s leading the research evaluation of the Driver Support Service. 

“Research led by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine into Victorian road traffic fatalities between 2006 and 2016 identified the presence of alcohol or other drugs in over 50 per cent of incidents,” she says. 

Despite increased penalties and the introduction of drink and drug-driving behaviour change programs since 2018, the current strategies alone aren’t sufficient to deter and prevent some drink/drug driving behaviour.

“Data from Victoria and Queensland indicates that 25% to 30% of people detected drink/drug driving go on to reoffend, and one-third of these offend three times or more,” Dr Grigg says. 

But a new support program is set to change all that.  

By considering underlying health and socioeconomic issues related to drink and drug driving, researchers have identified an opportunity to intervene via a health-led response.

“Advice we received from the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning has shown that the highest rate of reoffending in Victoria occurs between the detection event and the licence ban,” says Dr Grigg.

“We identified the point of the drink or drug-driving detection as a critical ‘window of opportunity’ to intervene, prevent repeated offences and save lives.” 

Driver Support Service innovation

Building on a pilot study from 2017-18, the Driver Support Service is a health-led approach to drink or drug-driving, designed to complement existing law enforcement strategies. 

Developed by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, in collaboration with Turning Point, Eastern Health and Victoria Police, the program offers a telephone-delivered support service for individuals detected drink or drug-driving.

“At the point of detection, police officers offer an e-referral to the driver,” explains Dr Grigg. 

“The approach alleviates pressure on police officers to respond to questions around substance use issues that the officers may not be equipped to answer,” she explains. 

As one of the officers in the research said: “[We’re] not an expert in this area. [The Driver Support Service] people are. It’s good to say these people will be the ones who guide you through that.”

Targeted healthcare when it’s needed   

During a single telephone session, a professional alcohol and other drug counsellor provides practical information tailored to the needs of drivers who are at risk of reoffending. 

“While topics covered during the call vary based on the drivers’ needs, advice might include the process that occurs after losing a licence, strategies for living without a licence and the steps involved in re-licensing, as well as psychological support,” Dr Grigg says.  

Read more: The protein with the potential to rewire the alcohol-addicted brain

Crucially, the counsellors also explain the safety risks of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the legal consequences of continuing to offend. 

“Sometimes there’s just a silence on the phone when you know that it’s going in,” one of the counsellors in the program says.  

The outcomes of the approach are already positive. As one service recipient said: “I've pretty much stopped drinking completely [after the support call]. It just sort of woke me up, I guess, to the consequences ...” 

An ‘opportunity for change’ 

The impact of the service also extends beyond safe driving behaviours. 

Drivers in the study were often experiencing diverse challenges and stressors, such as suicidality, mental health issues, psychological distress, domestic and family violence, and substance use issues, when they were picked up for drink or drug-driving. 

“Some people are already in a bad way, and then they lose their licence, and then all of a sudden everything’s collapsing around them,” a counsellor explains.

To address this, the program also provides alcohol and other drug support, mental health and crisis management, with referrals to other support services offered when needed.

Feedback from participants shows how life-changing the support service can be. 

“All of the information … was helpful,” one service recipient says. “But by far the most helpful thing for me was actually talking to somebody who seemed … truly willing to listen to me [and] my story. It’s the first time I've talked to a stranger about my alcohol abuse, so that felt very good and helped me release some built-up emotions.”

Decreasing the incidents of drink and drug driving

Before participating in the support service, 21.6% of drivers in the study reported having driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the past month (excluding the detection event). 

A month after participating, that proportion had more than halved to 10.4%. 

According to Dr Grigg, this is a significant finding that provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the service in addressing drink/drug-driving reoffending. 

Read more: The brain-training app that reduces alcohol consumption by one-third

Another strength of the intervention is the approach, which complements existing police processes with the goal of being implemented statewide. 

By collecting a variety of data from key stakeholders across all implementation phases, the research team was able to identify barriers and enablers to implementation and uptake, outcomes typically not captured by traditional efficacy-focused research designs.

“The feedback we received from drivers, police officers, and service counsellors has been positive,” Dr Grigg says. “All agreed the service is an effective way to engage drivers with targeted support.”

The project was funded by the Victorian government under the Road Safety Action Plan 1, commissioned by the Department of Transport and Planning.