The estimated road safety effect of an alcolock programme and its cost-benefit ratio. It is estimated that a quarter of the fatal road crashes in the Netherlands is caused by the use of alcohol. Three-quarters of these crashes are caused by offenders with a blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeding 1.3 g/l. Despite increased police enforcement of drink-driving, this situation has hardly changed since the year 2000. The number of road deaths that are caused by heavy offenders has in recent years been around 150 per annum. To achieve a more effective approach towards heavy drinkers in traffic the Dutch government has decided to introduce an alcolock programme in 2010. With this approach the Netherlands follow the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Finland and France. Serious offenders will be forced to have an alcolock installed in their car. If they fail to do so, their driving license will be revoked. An alcolock is a breath tester which functions as an ignition interlock. Not until the driver's breath has registered free of alcohol, he or she can start the vehicle motor. Compulsory participation in the programme will be for a minimum of two years. arious international evaluation studies have indicated that recidivism is on average 75% less among drivers with an alcolock than among offenders whose license has been suspended. If all heavy offenders were eligible for the programme, there would approximately be 13,500 per year. And if they could participate in the programme immediately, an estimated two thirds would indeed take part. But in fact the most serious offenders are not eligible for the programme. They are the novice drivers with a BAC of 1.8 g/l or higher, 'experienced' drivers with a BAC of 2.1 g/l or higher, and suspects who refuse to cooperate with the breath analysis. Moreover, the largest part of the remaining group is first has to face a suspension or a withdrawal. An annual number of approximately 2,200 offenders are expected to start the programme. If another 10% of the participants drop out during the programme, there will a permanent number of approximately 4,000 drivers who take part in the programme. The programme would then save three to five road deaths on an annual basis. This number of lives saved can go up to eight to ten per year if drivers are not allowed to leave the programme until they have shown to be capable of separating the use of alcohol and traffic participation. In that case there might eventually be a permanent number of 6,000 participants in the programme. The annual benefits of the programme could then amount to € 110 million (€ 11 million per life saved), while the costs are less than € 10 million. Moreover, the costs are paid by the participants themselves. When judicial and administrative legal measures are tuned to the programme, in the somewhat more distant future an annual saving of 30 to 35 road deaths seems possible.
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